Attraction
by TheFibonacciSequence
Summary: After the Brunswick farm incident Yang begins to reflect on her actions and emotions and realizes something troubling about her burgeoning relationship with Blake. Mild!Bumblebee. Enabler!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

-X- -X-

The rumble of her motorcycle failed to still her thoughts as it usually did and Yang Xiao-Long frowned as she heard a distant voice tell her to pull over. Weiss, maybe?

Ruby smiled as she stepped off their make-shift trailer first and she felt a twinge of embarrassment at failing to identify her own sister's voice.

"You okay?" From off to her side Blake's warm tones met her ears and a weary smile dragged itself to the fore.

"I'm fine." She sighed, casually slipping off her riding gloves and brushing a thick golden lock behind her ear.

Earlier the other girl had been saying something about protecting her, that she needed saving, yet as she watched the black-haired girl step past she found it strange just how disgusting the thought was. She'd always been self-sufficient; when Summer left she'd been the one to pull them all together after all and even when their dad seemed to change she'd kept Ruby on track without dropping her own workload – she'd never _needed _to rely on anyone and the thought that she had to be protected like some wallflower was actually… Kind of insulting.

"Just fine." She repeated for her own sake, trying to force herself to forgive her even if only in her own mind. "Just trying to… digest it all, y'know?"

Her gaze wandered as Weiss stepped past and she wondered how the heiress could be so well-maintained at a time like this - personally she felt like collapsing yet the white-haired girl still somehow managed to keep up that prim and proper air of hers.

Of course, Ruby seemed entirely unaffected by what they'd just gone through. She'd have to be blind not to notice the initial shaky despair lining her shoulders since they'd left but something told her to stay away and she hadn't gotten where she was without obeying her instincts and, sure enough, the redhead's sadness seemed to have steadily disappeared as she sat there until, finally, she'd been back to the bright and cheery girl that Yang was used to.

"Well…" Blake looked away, cute cat ears twitching in a way she'd come to learn they did when she was embarrassed. "…I'm here if you need me." She smiled slightly and Yang quickly returned the expression even as she turned away, a faint hint of her earlier frustration rising to the fore.

"So she's the one, huh?" She stiffened for a moment yet years of having to deal with so many mistakes dulled her scorn somewhat. Ozpin had made a great many mistakes and her uncle was just as much a victim of his machinations as they were, if not more so.

She lost herself in her thoughts for a second and the older Huntsman seemed content to let her remain so for the time being. "I'm not sure what you mean." She finally spoke.

"Yeah, I see you and cat-girl over there making goo-goo eyes at each other. Thought I'd seen enough of that with your father." He grumbled, drudging up the energy to affect his usual smirk even as his fingers twitched towards his flask. Qrow was clearly not fully recovered from his experience back there and she tried not to hold his impulses against him because of it.

"Is it that obvious?" She grimaced.

Qrow chuckled. "Yeah it is. Or at least _I_ see it. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree – Tai had a thing for the type himself. I remember the first time I called him out on it. 'My mother was a great woman, I'd be lucky to fall for someone had as amazing as her!' Heh, was honestly surprised when he hooked up with Summer. Bullheaded but all soft edges, y'know?" Qrow's smirk softened into something warmer.

"His mom?" She tried to imagine her grandmother but despite their many pictures she'd never actually seen the woman before; the life of a Huntress was a busy one wrought with peril after all, so the lack of a family portrait wasn't exactly surprising. "What do you mean?"

Qrow chuckled. "Y'know, the long black hair, the intense staring, the whole 'I am strong but must be saved' thing – Raven decked Tai for that one by the way." His chuckle grew into a raspy cackle however he slowly trailed off as he noticed that she wasn't joining in. A quick glance and he raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that firecracker, you Xiao-Longs are the ones with the whole Oedipus thing going on."

""Oedipus"?" The term was vaguely familiar and she grimaced in disgust as she remembered through the lingering haze of depression. Wasn't Oedipus when you wanted to... _Do it _with your mom? "I do not have a... _Oedipus..._ Thing."

Normally Qrow wouldn't have let an opportunity to tease his niece drop but between the last day and the dreaded "R" word he decided that for once discretion was the better part of valour. "Sure you don't, kid." Rolling his eyes the drunk stumbled away towards a nearby bush, leaving the blonde to wrinkle her nose in disgust and pointedly head in the other direction.

"Stupid uncle, doesn't know what he's talking about." She mumbled to herself, frowning as she tried to push his words out of her head. Sure, Blake and her mom-Raven, that is, not… _Her. _Sure, Blake and Raven may have looked a little alike but that was where the similarities ended. Raven had left when she needed her and Blake-

She froze, forcefully pushing down the familiar stirrings of anger. It was different, what had happened with Blake. She hadn't-

A powerful hand struck wood and she was surprised to find she'd stumbled, fingers brushing against cold bark. Perhaps their experience in the barn had affected her physically, more so than she'd thought? It didn't matter, it was over now and she huffed as she shook free the re-emerging cobwebs. "They're not alike." She told herself, brow furrowing.

Although-

"They're _not_." Blake was a great friend and an amazing partner; strong, beautiful and smart, she knew where she was going now and meanwhile her mother… Qrow had an image of her standing by the rest of her team didn't he? Had she been a great friend to dad? Or an amazing partner? Who was who on that team anyway, she'd never asked who was partnered with who on that team before had she?

Blake was just like her mother.

The thought permeated and she felt a brief sting as she thought about the times the faunus had left their team, going off on her own just like _she_ had. Though, hadn't Ruby done the same?

"She did the same." She nodded decisively as if to convince herself. Ruby ran off all the time, just like Raven-

No, not like Raven. Like Summer. The aching pang of worry dug into her gut and she growled as she slammed a fist into the tree, wincing at the resulting tremor.

"Yang?" She froze once more, swallowing as she looked up. "Uh, you okay?" Ruby smiled awkwardly, all dimples and worry. She'd always taken after Summer like that hadn't she? Not a trace of her father in her.

Uncharitable but true; Ruby had strength in spades but it all came from Summer, as did the shimmer of concern in her eyes. She'd had never adopted their father's outspoken attitude and his tough love approach was a part of that she'd learned well after losing her arm.

Summer's smile, her eyes and her nose, her hair and everything else all the way down to that brief tremor when she thought something was wrong - she'd only seen it from the woman once and even after Taiyang had comforted her she'd never wanted to see it again.

"I'm fine." She said briskly yet she surprised herself as she instinctively stepped in to wrap the other girl in a protective hold, arms crossing her back to hug her tight to her taller, fuller frame. "Just thinking about some stuff." She murmured.

"O-Oh." Ruby looked up at her, concern still written across her face and before she could think she was reenacting an old scene she could barely remember, hands sliding across her back in a comforting motion as she craned her neck forward, nuzzling the smaller girl as she met her eyes though the effect was ruined slightly by the pure panic that no doubt was reflected upon her face. "Uh, w-what are you doing?" Ruby squeaked.

Yang let out a noise somewhere between a low groan and a high-pitched yelp before she could stop herself. "I… Don't know?" She twitched. "I- Ah, I just saw dad do this once and I did it without thinking."

Neither girl quite knew what to do in the awkward situation until, much to Yang's relief, Ruby's face began to edge more towards amusement than worry, a short giggle of laughter escaping as she pulled back. "You dork." She snorted. "You're lucky I came back instead of Weiss or you'd be frozen right now."

"Y-Yeah, right." She nodded, looking away again and hoping the younger girl didn't notice how nervous she was. "Hey, could you, ah, go on ahead for a sec Rubes? I'll catch up, I swear."

Ruby examined her for a moment and gave a slow nod, tilting her head in confusion as she did so. "Well… Alright. But don't fall behind or I'm coming back for you." She 'threatened', meeting the blonde's bemused smirk with a guileless grin. "See you in a minute!"

Had a surge of energy emerged at some point when she wasn't looking? Sometimes she wondered how Ruby could be so hyperactive yet this time as the redhead dashed off Yang merely buried her face in her hands, groaning as she ruminated on what she'd just learnt.

Did step-moms even count as a 'Oedipus thing'?

-X- -X-

An hour passed all too quickly and the crackle of the campfire they'd lit failed to distract her from her problems, nor did the warmth cure the chill that ran down her spine.

Yang had never felt a 'cold chill' before a year ago; for someone as confident and hot-blooded as her she'd never even imagined before then that she even _could_. The last time she'd felt this way she was waking up in a hospital ward, surrounded by injured people and staring down at the bandaged stump of her right arm.

This… Wasn't quite as bad as that. At least she could pretend things were fine, something that was hard to do when you were missing an entire limb.

Cool fingers brushed against her own and she jerked away sharply, wide amethyst eyes darting over to take in a brief flash of hurt across a pale face. Everyone on her team was pale though, weren't they? She'd never thought of how weird that was... Maybe she should get a tan? Ice princess definitely couldn't. "Sorry." Out loud the word sounded stupid yet Blake didn't seem to mind, nodding quietly as she reached out again. "I should get some firewood."

As she stood she saw that same hurt but she just didn't have time for this drama right now, she had her own issues to deal with. "I… Okay then." Blake whispered.

She knew what she wanted and on any other day Yang would have offered the girl the chance to come along. When she looked down at her however all she could see was feathery strands and red irises and instead she found herself scowling before she could stop herself, hurriedly stomping off into the forest.

Across the campfire Qrow followed her with a dull gaze, slowly shaking his head. "_Kids._"

Once she was far enough away Yang found the thickest tree she could find and threw a punch, hissing as the dull crack that resulted did nothing to calm her down. A sharp hook and shards of bark flew sharply to the side, another and a crater of wood was carved away.

Her eyes flickered a violent red and with a scream of anguish Yang tossed a straight right into the crater, jolting as the trunk became forcibly displaced, toppling across the grass with a resounding crash.

Her shoulders heaved as she stared down at the jagged stump that remained and it was only the shifting of the wind that warned her that something was wrong.

A vicious strike confirmed her sudden suspicion, catching her across the shoulder and she gasped as sparks flew from her aura, the attack surprising her more than hurting.

She rolled with the blow and the sound of dirt displacing warned her of her enemy's next move. She roared as she spun on her heel, counting on the strength of her prosthetic to account for the lack of balance and sure enough the bone mask of her foe crumpled beneath her fist, a splash of black liquid spraying across her jacket.

Her eyes were keen and she saw the next threat lurking in the shadow of the first and her next strike caught it just as suddenly as the other and she scowled as she finished dispatching the Ursa, watching the corpses dissolve with distaste.

Metal fingers came to her jacket and face fell as she felt the three thick tears through the fabric covering her chest, quickly reaching up to remove the article in question.

"Yang, are you okay!?" A crimson blur dashed across the forest floor and Yang flinched, gritting her teeth as it came to an abrupt halt feet away, wide silver eyes staring up at her in concern. "We heard- Well, we _felt _something happen and I got worried." She hurriedly explained, no doubt misconstruing the frustration written across her face.

"I'm fine." Despite her words the blonde couldn't quite dredge up the energy to act her usual self and she sighed as the worry on Ruby's face only intensified. "Seriously, sis, I… I'm alright."

Ruby's gaze swept across the clearing, taking in the shattered trunk and broken branches littering the forest floor. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She leaned against a nearby tree and a dull sigh escaped as she watched her sister's face morph from doubt to worry to doubt before finally settling between the two. When the younger girl got like this she'd never let anything go and so, reluctantly, Yang tried to explain. "I just… I thought me and Blake were going somewhere. I-I don't know where but _somewhere._"

"O… Kay." Ruby frowned, brow furrowing a she tried to parse the blonde's words. "You and Blake? That… That's great! Really keepin' it in the team, huh? I'm not really into girls so I'm not sure exactly what I should say here, Yang. Go for it? Or- Or don't! I-"

Yang pinched the bridge of her nose as the younger girl stuttered away and she waved a dismissive hand in response. "That's not it, Rubes. I just… I thought I liked her but I'm starting to realize that I kinda don't?" Her hands fell to her sides and she grimaced. "I mean maybe I don't. I don't know."

"Oh. Well…" Ruby shuffled on the spot, rubbing at the back of her neck. "What do you like about Blake? Er, what _did _you like about Blake?"

"I guess… She reminds me of my mom." She cringed as she saw her sister do the same and slowly nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Uncle Qrow pointed it out and ever since it's all I can think about."

Ruby nodded absently, rubbing at her chin in a way she no doubt thought made her look more intelligent and Yang stifled a chuckle. "Well if you realized that and you _don't_ like her like that then there's nothing you can really do, Yang. Why beat yourself up over it, it's not like you were already dating, were you?" She paused, eyes narrowing. "Were you?"

"No, no, no secrets here. I just guess I'm a little squicked out, y'know? One minute we're holding hands and I'm thinking how cute she is and the next I realize I have a thing for-" She froze, lips pursing as she realized what she was about to say. "-hair. A thing for hair."

"Hair, huh?" Ruby twiddled with her own short crimson locks, a considering look crossing her face. "Well, I guess that's not _too_ surprising, all things considered."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, totally not surprising. Guess I'm just being silly, huh?"

"Just a little." Ruby offered a teasing smile, reaching out to grab her sister by the hand. "C'mon, let's go back to camp. This'll all go away in time." She comforted.

Yang glanced down at their joined hands as the smaller girl pulled her along, a tinge of pink crossing her cheeks. "I hope you're right."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

-X- -X-

The fare to keep her bike locked up wasn't exactly cheap in a place as out of the way as Argus yet despite having to dip into her personal funds Yang found she couldn't complain. Well, she couldn't complain too much at least. "I can't believe you don't even have the cash for my bike. Do you even know how much I spent on fuel?" She sighed, bemused as her uncle sheepishly offered a crooked grin.

"I've got cash kid, it's just not here." He defended half-heartedly, chuckling as she scowled.

"CUTE BOY OOOOOZ!" Nora's bombastic personality was unmistakable and she couldn't help grinning as she watched Oscar get swept off his feet, stepping forward and opening her own arms for a hug from Ren.

"I'm glad to see you're all okay." The taciturn boy nodded, barely getting a moment to pat her on the back before Nora swept in with a wide grin and wider arms.

"C'MERE!" The girl yelled and she laughed as she met her halfway, clapping her arms to either side and copying her enthusiastic approach. Her grin stayed on even as the girl moved on to Weiss and actually widened as the white-haired girl stepped back in terror.

Ren smiled from the side as he witnessed the exchange, nodding gratefully at her. "I'm glad that you all got here safely, Jaune was worried sick."

Unspoken was their own worry and Yang smirked as she punched him lightly on the shoulder, brushing stray locks behind her ear in the face of the cold climate. "I'll bet. So you gonna fill me in on the deets?" She pressed, raising an eyebrow.

"Mm." Despite his acknowledgement Ren shrugged as everyone began to gather around, waiting for Jaune and Ruby to finish 'having a moment'. "Well, our arrangements have actually been covered by Jaune while we stay here." He informed them. "We'll wait until tomorrow to begin making plans for our journey however, first we've got a trek across the city."

"Yay, more walking." Yang groaned and the sentiment was shared by the rest of her team.

Jaune perked up, a bright smile crossing his face. "Actually Argus has a tramline, so we can just get that; best of all, it's _free_!"

"Well, alright then," Ruby beamed at the gathered teens. "Lead on then Jaune!"

The other team leader chuckled as he began to lead them over to a nearby tram and Yang whistled as she looked down the line, following the track through the city with her gaze. "This city…" She paused as she stepped onto the tram, moving aside as Blake and Weiss followed after her first. "It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be."

As Ren and Jaune began to share facts about the city the blonde listened with half an ear, examining the beautiful area with interest. It had been weeks since she'd seen a cinema or a park or even a local gym and she found that despite their plans to move right on she couldn't help being just a _little _annoyed that they wouldn't even get a chance to explore the city.

Unbidden she felt her gaze begin to slip and the blonde hissed as she watched her sister lean over the edge of the tram, excited silver eyes roaming over the many sights the city had to offer; even now, enraptured as she was with the place around her she couldn't quite suppress this strange new feeling that rose whenever she watched the younger girl.

Maybe she'd feel better if she made the time to explore? Yeah, maybe it was just nerves and stress that was making her feel so weird lately!

The explanation didn't quite sit right but Yang embraced it and pushed the matter forcibly to the back of her mind and before long the tram slowed to a halt and she blinked as Oscar piped up beside her. "So, where have you been staying?"

"Aaahh." Jaune scratched absently at the back of his head even as he stepped off of the tram and moved aside for them, blue eyes flitting off to the side in a clear sign of guilt and Yang was sure she wasn't the only one that felt suspicious at the behaviour.

As if on cue the tram departed for its next stop and a female voice piped up. "There you are!" The call drew all of their attention and she had to do a double-take as she spied blonde hair and blue eyes, a resemblance to the leader of JNR that couldn't be denied.

"Is that…?" Blake trailed off.

Jaune chuckled nervously, turning away from them to shoot a small wave at the unknown woman. "Hey, Saph." He pointed, blushing as Ruby shot to his side.

Ruby gasped as she looked between the two of them and Yang's eyes widened as she began to squeal, a sound not unlike that of a kettle spouting steam. "Is that-!?"

Her gaze continued to dart between the two of them and she cringed as Jaune shot her a smile and began to walk towards his sister; when her own sister's amazement showed no signs of abating she grabbed her around the shoulders and began to push her along, ignoring the sputtered sounds of discontent she shot her way and ignoring even harder the way her heartbeat seemed to skip a beat. "C'mon, Rubes! Keep up."

"But he-that's-ah, I've been waiting for this day! I wonder if the rest of his sisters will be there too!" Ruby blurted, hands on her cheeks._ 'The rest of them? How many does he have?' _She wondered. "Seven!" Ruby piped up and she blinked as she realized she'd spoken aloud, freezing for a second as the number parsed.

"Seven! Seven sisters?" She repeated, whistling sharply as the hyperactive girl nodded fervently. "Geez!"

Behind them she could hear both Blake and Qrow continue to chuckle and she pouted as she draped her arm around her sister's shoulders more naturally, walking alongside her up the road and finally coming to a halt outside of a large, comely house with a well-maintained trellis by the door.

"Nice digs." She hummed as Ruby skipped out from under her arm, following her in at a more sedate pace.

Hopefully now that they'd arrived she could put this weirdness behind her and they could finally get to Atlas without any more trouble.

-X- -X-

They weren't getting to Atlas without any more trouble.

"Come on, you didn't even hear us out!" She yelled at the ridiculous looking gate guards.

"Our orders are clear. Atlas' borders are closed." "Have a good day!" Both guards popped their steps as they stood straight and she grimaced. "But-" "_Have a good day!"_

Despite the ludicrousness of the 'twins' the situation only got weirder as it went on and as the commander of the base was introduced she felt herself getting more and more riled up.

Maybe it was the stress of the situation catching up on her or maybe it was the way Ruby's smile became steadily more strained but she could feel her temper coming to the fore, arms crossing in annoyance at the arrogance of this 'Cordovin' woman.

"_Atlas will prevail!" _For the umpteenth time the peanut gallery chimed in and she frowned, shoulders tensing. "Do you guys seriously have to do that?" She piped up, glaring at the two idiots towering over the diminutive woman.

"If Ms. Schnee truly wishes to return home to her loving family then Atlas will be glad to escort her, but the kingdom will not be responsible for her _friends _of questionable character."

The look the woman shot at Blake stunned her for a second but before she could give her a piece of her mind Weiss stepped in, scowling. "And what's that supposed to mean?" The heiress prompted.

Cordovin turned her gaze back to her and Yang grit her teeth, eyes unknowingly flickering a deep red. "It means we're done here."

As the woman walked off she reflected that she alone could've handled the three before them and with the number of them actually there they could probably actually take this whole base. The knowledge was cold comfort however as she knew that if she followed through on her first violent impulse they'd have the entire Atlas military breathing down their necks.

"Where are we going now?" Her sister's words drew her from her aggravated thoughts and she looked up, softening at the look of concern written across the redhead's face. "What's the plan?"

Qrow stopped in his tracks. ""The plan"?" He huffed, inclining his head to stare them down with a dispassionate gaze. "The _plan _just got shut on our face three times over. I'm going for a drink." He sighed, continuing forward.

Ruby's face fell as she made to follow but on impulse Yang reached out, stepping around Blake and gripping her arm. The two shared a silent look and she sighed, wrapping her in a hug as she glanced over at Jaune. "C'mon, let's go back to your sister's place; we'll come up with something there."

He nodded in agreement and Nora frowned. "Yeah, if he's gonna be a jerk then who needs him!?" The words were clearly meant to be heard yet the older huntsman didn't even look back once. "Stupid jerkface_. _We've got Ozpin with us, he'll know what to do!"

Their thoughts on _that _powder keg must have been written on their faces as even Ren frowned, brow furrowing. "What?" He voiced.

And now they had to deal with explaining to the others that Ozpin had no clue what he was doing and they'd been backing the wrong horse this whole time. A selfish thought struck and she paused, considering. Could she…? Her gaze shot over JNR's bemused faces, flitting after her uncle's form steadily disappearing into the distance. Yes. Yes, she could.

"We'll talk later." She finally spoke, pulling her startled sister after her. "_Yang!_" The distressed girl yelped and she shook her head, frowning back at the others. "We've got all night to talk, right now there's still light and we just got here from a journey where we got attacked by Grimm, had our train crash and then nearly ended up giving up this whole thing. If uncle Qrow's gonna go off and get drunk then I say we make a day of it while we still can."

"You cannot-" Whatever Weiss was going to say was cut off as Blake lay a hand on her shoulder, tilting her head towards their youngest member. Oscar looked away but he wasn't quite quick enough to hide the apprehension he so clearly felt and the heiress paused, struggling for a moment before, with a sigh, she nodded. "Two hours, then we reconvene at Jaune's sister's home. And we're not waiting to explain to them, they have a right to know."

Yang flashed her a half-hearted grin, continuing on down the length of the bridge even as Ruby struggled harder behind her. "C'mon Yang, now's not the time!" She huffed and Yang just shook her head once more.

"Now's the perfect time. When was the last time you did something like work on Crescent Rose or even just sit down and enjoy some quiet?" She pressed and Ruby faltered slightly, lips tugging down into an awkward grimace as she followed. Yang released her hand once they were out of earshot of the others and continued. "C'mon sis, we can't keep moving without a break, it just stresses everyone out and after what we've all learnt we can't afford any more of that."

Ruby slowed to a halt and rubbed her palms against one another, a cloud of white mist escaping her mouth as she considered her older sister's point. "You… You're not wrong." She finally confessed, turning to gaze over the city. "This place is beautiful and I-I… I've gotta admit that I _do _want to see more. But Yang, we're-"

"Nope." The brawler smirked as she popped the 'p', enjoying the startled blink the other girl offered in response. "You don't get to put everything on your own shoulders like that. We've got the relic of knowledge, we're in Argus and we killed a boatload of Grimm along the way. We're making progress Ruby but that doesn't mean that you have to take responsibility when we don't."

"But I need to be there-" "Why?"

The question was a simple one but even as Ruby opened her mouth to answer it Yang spoke. "You're the second youngest person in this group; uncle Qrow's the trained huntsman, Weiss is the heiress to the SDC and Blake's the daughter of the head of the White Fang. What could _either_ of us possibly offer that they don't already know?"

Ruby quieted at the line of thought, shaking her head. "They deserve to hear the truth from all of us." She murmured, silver eyes glinting in stubborn determination.

Yang barked out a laugh. "In an ideal world they deserve to hear the truth from _Ozpin_, but he's run away and I'm not letting you put that on yourself, Rubes." Ruby shrunk away and her harsh stare softened. "Just this once could you let me be the selfish older sister? I… I've been too focused on Blake and myself lately so if you won't let yourself run away just this once then let me do this, okay?"

Ruby hesitated, absently brushing crimson locks across her shoulder and glancing away. "I-Well…" Her gaze met Yang's and she must have spied some of the desperation the blonde felt as she faltered, shuffling on the spot. "…Alright. Yang, where are we going?"

"Wherever we want, sis." Yang grinned. "Pretty sure I saw a place playing 'Tryst in the Mist' downtown."

Ruby's eyes lit up and a flush of red crossed her cheeks. "Tryst in the Mist'? But that's…" She glanced around. "…Yang, that's an _adult _movie."

"Oh, Ruby." Yang's grin widened and she darted forward, throwing her arms around her sister and delighting at the surprised squawk that resulted. "That's so _adorable_. My badass little sister, the most awesomest huntress around. But she's gotta be home before nine 'cause that's her curfew!" She crowed.

With a growl Ruby smacked her on the shoulder, forcefully pushing her away. "Alright, alright, maybe it _is _a little silly to worry about something like an R-rating…" She muttered, scrunching her nose as Yang choked off a laugh. "Fine, I'll watch that movie. You watch, I'll sit through the whole thing!"

She chuckled, watching as the younger girl shuffled nervously and brushing away the surge of affection. This-This wasn't about that. "Never change, sis. Never change."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

-X- -X-

"Where were you!?"

'_Well_,' Yang mused, watching as Weiss tore into their terrified team leader._ 'At least it wasn't the worst last movie to see.'_

"Uh, ah," Ruby panicked, silver eyes darting around the room as their other two team members sent them judging looks. "Yang did it!"

Yang laughed, only getting louder when they both turned on her. "Okay, okay, that's on me I'll admit; I took her to see a movie and we got some take out. What's the big deal?" She grinned, expression dropping slightly as they continued to stare. "Alright, seriously, what's the big deal?"

"Oscar ran off." Qrow piped up from the couch, head in his hands. "Your friends are off out there looking for him. Good movie?"

"What do you mean "Oscar ran off"?" Ruby gasped, gaze shooting across the living room. "Where did he go? When?"

Blake clapped a hand on Weiss' shoulder and the heiress mouth snapped shut. "He left about an hour or so ago, Jaune, Nora and Ren are out looking for him but…" The faunus trailed off, cat ears twitching.

"Okay, okay then." Ruby ran both of her hands through her hair, shakily taking a deep breath. "If they're looking for him then there's not a lot of places he could go, right?"

Yang frowned, thoughts whirring as she went over the places they had seen on their sojourn through the city. "Well we know he's not at the movies and he's not exactly flush with cash, right?" She pointed out, ignoring the dirty look Weiss shot her. "So-"

"Actually he's probably got access to Oz's funds. Not that that's a big deal or anything, he'll come back." Qrow remarked dryly and all four girls shot him looks of disgust. "Seriously, this is just a thing kids do. I mean where's he gonna go, _Atlas_?"

Yang paused and dimly she noticed the others do the same. As much as it chafed to admit it the drunken idiot had a point; where _could _Oscar go?

There wasn't any chance of him going to Atlas and all other air traffic was being shut down. Maybe he could get a train but at this time of night?

"He's… Got a point." She reluctantly admitted. "Maybe if we wait he'll come back. At this point there's nothing we can really do to help by going out blind. We'll just have to trust Oscar."

The fact that she didn't even mention Ozpin spoke volumes about their trust in the old headmaster and both Weiss and Blake looked away awkwardly, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Ruby. "How did they react?" The redhead asked nervously, shoulders slumping as she braced herself for more bad news.

"Not good." Blake shook her head and shot Yang a look that had the brawler quickly begin to imagine the worst case scenario. "Jaune nearly lost it. I don't blame him but…" She hesitated.

"He stopped himself." For once Weiss decided to defend the other team's leader and her brow furrowed in concern as she thought back on his actions. "I think he can be excused for reacting like that; we didn't do much better after all. Still, I think when Oscar gets back it may do the two some good to keep them apart for a little while."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Maybe, I- We should have been here." She sighed and Yang felt a spike of guilt.

"It wouldn't have made a difference." A hand rested on the blonde's shoulder and she started, glancing up from the floor to make contact with amber irises. "Nobody could have predicted how things would go and, to be honest, even if both of you were here nothing would've changed."

Reluctantly Weiss nodded in agreement, scratching at her neck in embarrassment. "Indeed, despite my… Overreaction to your absence, you may have been right momentarily adjourning as you did. I don't doubt clearer heads may have prevailed if we'd taken things a little slower."

The admittance seemed to physically pain the heiress and Yang smirked as she stepped forward, brushing off Blake's hand with a grateful smile and giving her a soft pat on the back. "Don't beat yourself up over it ice queen, I just wanted to go slack off!"

The shameless grin that followed earned a twitch from the petite girl however at the same time she could see her relax, posture loosening as she stood just a little bit straighter. "Of course, I should've known." She scoffed yet despite the motions Yang could see the grateful glimmer in her eyes.

"Well then what now?" Ruby spoke up. "Are we seriously just going to wait around for Oscar? Is there really nothing more we can do?"

The anxiety she felt was clear on her face and both Blake and Weiss shared another look. "Well, there's nothing _you two_ can do right now," Weiss started, grimacing. "But we've been in contact with the others and we know where they haven't looked."

Their team leader grasped her point and Yang could see the distress begin to rise. "But we-"

"Ruby." She interrupted, clapping a hand onto her sister's shoulder. "Leave it to Blake and Weiss to search for him, if he comes back someone needs to be here, right?"

Ruby looked up at her with a frown and she could see the blame in her eyes. The emotion struck surprisingly hard and she dropped her arm down to her side, stepping away silently. "I- Sorry, you're right." The younger girl cut herself off and quickly nodded, adopting a guilty grimace and Yang blinked as the girl directed an apologetic gaze her way. "We should wait here for him. We'll wait."

"If you want you can wait with Weiss, Yang and I-" "You'll both know better where to search." Yang cut through Blake's ploy instantly, swallowing her remorse at the black-haired girl's hurt frown. "It's better this way."

A snort cut through the small house however as they all turned to look Qrow merely lay there, a leg draped lazily off the side of the couch as he began to snore.

"Well," Weiss started, nose scrunching in distaste. "We definitely can't count on him either way."

A part of Yang wanted to defend her uncle but she couldn't forget how he'd been acting these past few days, from the uncontrolled alcoholism to the bursts of apathy he'd been showing even after they left that abandoned farm. "Yeah." She agreed, voice hollow as she stared at the older huntsman in disappointment. "We really can't."

A smooth hand gripped her own and she glanced down, meeting concerned silver eyes. "We'll wait." Ruby repeated, offering a concerned smile of her own and Yang felt a warm flush across her cheeks.

Weiss looked between the two, brow furrowing as she slowly nodded. "Alright, we'll be back with the others when we find him."

-X- -X-

Scarcely thirty minutes had passed before the doorbell rang and both girls glanced up from their place beside the fireplace, sharing looks of confusion as their uncle jerked awake in surprise. "They found him?" Ruby voiced and Yang coughed as she climbed to her feet, failing to match her sister's speed as the smaller girl dashed toward the door. "Oscar!"

The happiness in her voice immediately had her bolting from her slow walk and she grinned as she spied the boy's startled expression, a pair of thin yet powerful arms holding the boy in place. "Oscar!" She repeated her sister's cry of joy, leaning in to join the impromptu hug session; as quickly as she had done so however she pulled away, amethyst eyes roaming over the boy's get-up critically. "You got a new wardrobe." She noted.

"Uh, yeah." He chuckled half-heartedly. "I felt like maybe it was time for a change, you know?"

The double-meaning of his words wasn't lost on her even if Ruby didn't seem to grasp it and she silently nodded her approval, quietly enjoying the relieved smile that crossed his lips.

"It looks good!" Ruby blurted, examining the new green overcoat in particular with a curious gleam in her eye and Yang felt a spark of irritation.

Again she cursed the awkward feelings she'd been cursed with and forcefully the blonde reminded herself that this wasn't about her or even about Blake; this was about a fourteen year old boy that was lost and confused. "Amen to that!" She agreed forcefully, pasting on a grin. "You clean up well."

As they ushered the farm boy into the house and past the bleary-eyed Qrow seated in the living room they both shared a brief nod and Yang snuck her phone out of her pocket, sending a message off to Weiss.

It took another ten minutes before the others showed up and the first thing she took note of was Jaune's guilty hunch, a look he continued to sport even when Oscar greeted him with a smile.

Part of her wanted to snipe or jab at him but she'd been the aggressor in far too many of these situations to possibly do so now that the shoe was on someone else's foot and instead she just nudged the two boys away from their little group, a feat that was surprisingly easy considering how much Ruby seemed to want to dote on the only member of their group younger than herself.

"Good job." Weiss congratulated her and she raised an eyebrow, confused until the white-haired girl nodded in their direction. "I think they need that."

"I thought you said they needed a little time apart earlier?" She paraphrased, tilting her head at the mixed messages she was receiving.

Weiss shook her head, clearing her throat softly. "I thought they needed to get over this somehow. I'm… Not used to confronting my problems head-on like that, usually I just end up leaving my problems behind." She confessed. "It's not always the healthiest approach though; I'm mature enough to admit that."

Yang hummed as she nodded in agreement. "Y'know, I've noticed a lot of people are like that. Wouldn't it just be easier to go with the flow and face your problems?"

Weiss stared for a moment and just as she began to feel uncomfortable she spoke. "You know Yang, sometimes I envy you. I wish I could be that… Courageous."

The wording was clearly diplomatic to say the least and the blonde snorted at the teasing twinkle in her eye. "Right." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Somehow I get the feeling that the way we solve our problems might not work for one another."

"Maybe not." She admitted, flicking her ponytail absently over her shoulder as she watched the two boys converse. "But perhaps it may be worth trying sometime."

She wasn't sure what to say to that so Yang just hummed once more, looking over the rest of their motley crew curiously.

Blake was chuckling at the antics of Nora and Ren and she seemed to sense that she was being watched so Yang quickly moved on, skipping her uncle entirely on the couch and landing on her sister talking with Jaune's sister and her partner.

Both women seemed comfortable with the hyperactive huntress-in-training and she smiled as she watched her sister gesticulate wildly, evidently talking about some story from their travels.

For a moment she found herself examining the girl's exaggerated motions and remembering the soft smile of another woman in place of that energetic grin, of warm hands wiping away the dirt from her scrapes and cleaning her bruises.

Hastily she shook the forbidden thoughts from her mind, desperately brushing aside the warmth suffusing her and instead she moved back to the boys on the balcony, relieved to see the two heading back through the doors.

"Hey guys." Jaune greeted sheepishly. Ren casually offered his team leader a pat on the back while Nora decided to forego any form of subtlety and instead nearly crushed him in a colossal hug that put even Ruby's best to shame.

"Glad to see you're alright." Said girl offered a smile, gathering alongside her team. "So…" She trailed off.

Clearly unwilling to beat around the bush, Weiss frowned as she cut through the awkward silence. "What do we do now?" She asked the group as a whole.

Qrow chuckled bitterly from the couch, climbing to his feet and casually trudging past the trainees as he spoke. "We do nothing. It's great that you kids fixed up your little share circle but any plans we may have had just got shut down by that bitch from Atlas."

For the first time in maybe a month or more Yang agreed with her uncle yet she could see that Ruby was unwilling to let this lie. Halfway up the stairs however both the huntsman's gait and Ruby's scathing retort were interrupted by an interjection from Jaune of all people. "Actually," The boy began, gulping nervously as all eyes fell upon him. "I may have something in mind. I mean, it's not… A _full _plan, per say, but…"

Of all people, Blake decided to speak up. "It's got to be better than nothing." She prompted. "What's your plan, Jaune?"

"Well… It's not something we can really come back from." He admitted and as everyone continued to stare he bolstered himself and, with a nervous cough, continued. "We could… Steal an Atlas airship?" He suggested.

Everyone's faces froze in shock and for once she saw something break through the depression surrounding her uncle like a haze; unfortunately what broke through happened to be sheer anger. _"Absolutely not."_

"With Cordovin on watch only Atlas ships have the clearance to leave for Solitas," Jaune continued, ignoring the immediate reaction. "It… May be our only option."

"That… That's not just breaking the law." Weiss grimaced, clearly going through the scenario in her head and not liking their odds. "That's definitely worse."

On her end Yang had her own misgivings with the plan and she scowled as she aired the most obvious to her. "How would we even get on the airfield?"

"That… I haven't quite figured out yet." He sighed. "I-"

"Okay, stop." For once it seemed uncle Qrow was going to be the voice of reason and she'd not felt so grateful to the huntsman in a _long _time. "Just… _Stop. _Look, if this thing goes south it's not just something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas military we're talking about so for your sake just drop this."

Ruby's face fell as Qrow stared them down yet she could feel a tension stirring in the air, see the minute crease of the younger girl's brow as it twitched in thought and practically hearing the gears whirring behind those bright silvers of hers.

"He's right." It took a second for her to realize the words had come from her own mouth and she froze as everyone turned to look at her.

She wasn't ashamed to speak her mind but when she thought about it was she so sure this was a hill she was willing to die on?

Steeling herself, she decided that whatever the consequences of this she'd just have to face them and so Yang continued. "He's right. We've gone this entire way for Ozpin, fought Grimm, fought Salem, but… Fighting Atlas? How much are we willing to throw away for him?"

Ruby's betrayed expression stung no matter how she tried to reason that she was doing the right thing but she spotted Weiss' faint nod in response to her words and knew that she was doing the right thing. "Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do, but we've been moving forward anyway." Ruby started and she sighed as she spied that familiar glint of steel in her gaze. "We're not out of options-"

"If Atlas arrests us then we are." Yang pointed out softly and Ruby's mouth snapped shut. "I'm all for fighting against fate Rubes but breaking the law by stealing an airship from a military base, especially one based around an unprotected city? Argus doesn't have Huntsman to defend it from the Grimm Ruby; all it has is Atlas, for better or worse. What happens if we undermine that for our own selfish needs?"

The look on the young girl's face struck her like a hammer blow yet she knew she was in the right just this once, agreeing with her uncle as she spoke.

"We'll find a way into Atlas, but this? This isn't it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

-X- -X-

Yang had hoped that when the morning came they'd all be able to come up with a new plan, or at least agree to shelf the old one, yet as Ruby came trudging down the stairs she just knew that the younger huntress wasn't going to give up that easily.

She fell back against the couch, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "Ruby," She called, sighing as the redhead faltered in her steps towards the kitchen. "Could you come here for a sec?"

Ruby's brow furrowed as she stepped back into the living room and behind the girl she spied JNR at the table, smiling slightly at Nora's visible disgust for the bran flakes they were eating. Seems like Jaune's sister didn't share his enthusiasm for Pumpkin Pete.

As Ruby gently lowered herself to sit beside her Yang's smile became a little less solid and she nervously brushed at the back of her neck, unsure where to begin. "I wanted to talk to you about Jaune's plan yesterday."

Ruby perked up and she flinched, knowing exactly where the girl's mind was going. "You changed your mind?" She piped up hopefully.

"No." She knew how her sister could get so she decided it was best to just nip that in the bud here and now. "It's still a stupid idea but I wanted to at least, y'know, discuss it with you."

A blink and Ruby slowly nodded, mulling over her words. "Alright." She acknowledged, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "I'm glad you're willing to at least discuss it." She finally said diplomatically even as Yang could see the tightening at the corners of her lips.

"I don't think it's the right decision, I know I made that clear. But… If it's our only option I'm willing to go along with it." She nodded at the girl's unspoken question. "Yes, that includes helping steal the airship."

Ruby smiled. "Thanks, Yang. I'll have to let the others know-"

"Hold on." She quickly held up a hand, forestalling the girl's next actions. "That doesn't mean it's the first thing we have to go to." Ruby's smile twitched and she rolled her eyes. "I know how you can get, sis. Just because it's _a _course of action doesn't mean it has to be _the _next course of action. Just… A couple of days at least, what do we lose out on with just a couple of days?"

A small hum met her question as their leader thought it over and she swallowed as she waited for her response. "…Alright." Ruby mumbled, sighing as though it physically pained her to admit even that much. "I guess you've got a point."

"Just two days. I get that we'll probably end up having to do this." She confessed, grimacing. "But I'd rather get to say I at least _tried _to prevent my sister from becoming a criminal."

Ruby flushed, glancing over into the kitchen and watching as the others finally settled down for breakfast. "That's fair." She admitted, curling a lighter crimson lock around her finger.

'_It should be a crime to make embarrassment look so good.' _Yang jolted, shooting to her feet. "Well, now that that's settled we'd better get in there before JNR eats the kitchen, huh?"

"Are you okay?" Ruby blinked, staring up at her in confusion.

Yang forced out a chuckle. "Never better, sis." She grinned, turning away so the younger girl wouldn't see the flush of red gracing her cheeks. "Just… Glad we got that outta the way. I'm no good at serious talks, you know that."

The redhead murmured something under her breath however she was too distracted to care at that moment and instead she stepped away into the kitchen, choosing the far less difficult task of fighting Nora for a chance at the honey on the table.

"I've been thinking." Jaune spoke up and as one they turned to give him their attention. The leader of JNR gave Ruby a brief moment to sit down as well and continued. "Regardless of whether we go through with our plan or not we should connect our scrolls."

Judging by the look on Nora's face she had a few less than child friendly insinuations in mind. "I think it's a good idea." Ren interjected and Yang smirked as the girl's face fell, a pout settling in place as she slouched back into her seat. "Knowing where we all are at any given moment may well be a boon in a militaristic place like Atlas, to say nothing of the advantages we'd have along the way."

At her side Ruby nodded her agreement, smiling guilelessly. "I can agree with that. How about you guys?"

The question was directed at Blake and Weiss in particular and despite the uncertainty they both so obviously felt the two girls nodded their assent, the clear advantages outweighing the negatives in this case.

"I'll do it." Yang spoke up and as one they looked across the table, taking in the confirmation of each individual there. The process of actually linking up the phones took only a minute and as she stared down at the little blue dot with her team's names beside it she felt a small weight lift, as though she'd been worrying without even realizing it. "Well, if that's it I think I'm gonna go out for breakfast."

Nora's gaze shot down to her honey-smothered bran flakes however before she could invite herself along Ren spoke up once more. "I think Nora and I shall go somewhere else as well. I believe I saw a place that sells pancakes down by the main gate."

She wondered just how long he'd been waiting to pull that out and the entire group laughed as Nora shot to her feet, practically dragging him from his seat to the door. "Well, if that's settled then I think I'll head out. Any of you guys wanna grab a bite?"

Both Ruby and Weiss shook their heads, the former offering an apologetic smile as Blake seemed to think about it, eventually shaking her head herself and offering a shrug.

"Your loss." She scoffed playfully, taking only the time to grab her keys before she was out the door.

The place she had in mind was a small café down by the cinema and as she perused the menu she eventually decided to just grab a croissant before making her way through the city and seeing the sights.

-X- -X-

The thing about frontier towns and cities was that they never wanted people to become depressed; pay was usually good and there were normally plenty of distractions to go with that increase in quality of life.

She'd been hoping that maybe she'd find a bowling alley or an arcade or something to keep her attention for a while however her wandering eventually took her off the beaten path and before she knew it she was stood in front of a statue of a familiar figure, amethyst eyes wide with shock as she stared up at it.

Everything from the hair down to the weapons was accurate and she felt a pang of nostalgia as she for the commemorative statue, reminiscing on her time at Beacon.

She'd never known the girl particularly well but as she stood before the figure of Pyrrha Nikos, Yang felt like she had to say something, anything even, if only to remember this later. "Hey P-money," She started awkwardly, shuffling on the spot as she glanced away from the blank-eyed stare of the statue. "Long time no see, huh? Soooo… We're doing pretty good."

She paused as she thought over her words and for a moment she could swear that the stone figure was judging her. "Well alright, not really." She sighed, dropping back onto the bench situated a few feet away. "Ozpin's locked himself away and Salem… She can't die, Pyrrha. I'm out of my depth here, and to top it all off I'm having… Girl problems."

She briefly wondered what she would have said if someone had told her even just last year that she would be sitting in front of a statue of Pyrrha Nikos thinking about her sister like this; she'd almost definitely have decked them, actually.

"I don't know, Pyrrha. Before last year I'd never even thought of a _girl _like that, but now I'm totally lost. I mean, first Blake and now my own _sister_. Apparently I've got mom issues or something." She chuckled mirthlessly. "My drunken depressed uncle Qrow realized it first, of all the people. Gross, right?"

She fell silent, absently scratching at a phantom itch in her metal limb. She hadn't said much and she hadn't even thought about the girl in a long time, yet she felt… Peaceful, almost, as she sat there.

"It feels good to say it out loud though." She confessed, climbing to her feet and brushing off the plaque at the base of the commemorative piece. "I didn't get anywhere telling you this but it still feels good. Is that weird?"

Part of her wanted to stay there and keep talking but she knew from the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the city that she wouldn't be alone soon and so, with a sigh, she simply chose to nod at the statue. "We all miss you, Pyrrha. It… It was good to see you again."

With that parting remark she turned to leave the park, intent on the distraction she'd been seeking since her morning started only to freeze as a siren began to sound.

"What?" She murmured, nervously grasping her prosthetic.

"_Attention all Argus residents, Grimm have been sighted to the south of the city; we ask that all residents seek shelter further inland while Atlas military personnel dispose of any incoming threats. Thank you for your cooperation and we hope you have a pleasant day."_

The first hint that the announcement was downplaying the threat came from a text from her uncle of all people, a message that simply said "Get your weapons, we're leaving" addressed to the entire group.

Immediately after another buzz came from Blake, followed by Weiss and finally her scroll began to ring. She cursed as she clicked the incoming video call open, frowning as Ruby's terrified face swam into view. "Ruby, what's going on? How many Grimm are we dealing with here?"

"_Well, I guess technically it's just the one that's the real problem." _The girl hedged, glancing away nervously before craning her phone over her shoulder.

Yang gaped at the figure in the distance, pulling herself together and licking her suddenly dry lips. "That's… That's a big grimm." She noted dully.

"_Yeah. Yeah it is."_

In the background she saw her sister's scythe unfold and the girl's intentions became clear. "Ruby, don't you dare!" She yelped, hurriedly breaking into a run towards the docks.

"_It's fine! Uncle Qrow, Weiss and Jaune are h- OH MY GOD IT'S A GIANT ROBOT!" _"What?" She gasped, brow furrowing in confusion. _"Yang, Atlas have a giant robot and they're fighting the giant grimm, it looks. So. Cool. Listen, we're gonna defend the docks from the smaller grimm trying to get through. I-I think Atlas has got this."_

A breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding escaped her and Yang slowly to a light jog, pushing errant strands of hair back from where it had fallen across her forehead. "Okay, I'll get Blake and we'll be right there."

"_Alright but hurry or you'll miss all the fun!"_

"Right." Her lips twitched as she clicked the video call closed and she nearly tucked it away until she saw that she'd received another two messages from Blake. Any amusement she may have felt at Ruby's excitement fell away as she took in the two words that came up on screen.

_Adam's here._

-X- -X-

It really had been a good idea, connecting their phones.

In the distance she could see sparks flying and she cringed as she realized that Blake had been forced into a straight fight against the more experienced faunus because of the civilians in the area.

Her feet carried her into the fray just in time to catch the edge of his sword on her prosthetic and she savoured his surprise for scarcely a second before, with a roar, she struck back with twice the force.

The psychopath went flying back and she took the moment afforded to slide to a stop beside her partner, smirking at the downed redhead. "I thought I remembered him being tougher." She quipped and she was rewarded by a frustrated yell from the bull faunus.

"They can't save you!" The exclamation was followed by a wave of red and the two separated, bullets flying from Ember Celica to strike fruitlessly against the crimson blade he wielded. On the other side Blake seemed to realize her plan and hurried to the other side of her old mentor, boxing him in between the two.

Adam spat, a globe of pink fluid more saliva than blood dribbling from his lips and her smirk widened. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

The three warriors stood there for a moment, weighing their options and finally the outnumbered man spun, dashing on his heel towards Blake.

He didn't get any time to enjoy her surprise however as Yang dashed after him, the blonde's hair flickering a fiery gold as she threw a punch that was deflected with almost negligible effort and his original target's weapon failed to pierce as well.

Blake's fist on the other hand came through and he seemed more shocked than hurt as the girl's petite appendage caught him across the cheek, driving him towards Yang where, with a wild grin, she swung.

Blake wasn't great at hand-to-hand combat; Yang, on the other hand, was trained almost exclusively in it and it showed as he flew away from the two with a crack.

Never one to wait around she immediately tried to follow through and he caught the blow once more, learning from his mistake and pulling back as Blake tried to engage.

The fact that Blake seemed so desperate to put him down seemed to shake him more than her initial surprise attack and after that it was actually remarkably easy to box the bull faunus into a corner.

Adam Taurus had always been a threat lingering in the back of her mind, however as she cut through his desperate defense with blow after blow she began to feel almost embarrassed for the man. His offence was clearly greater than his admittedly formidable defense yet against her two main weapons and Blake's ribbon cutting away he seemed hopelessly outmatched.

The answer behind his weakness came as she flew forward, striking him across the chest and earning a desperate gasp for air even as another crack echoed through the plaza they were fighting in.

Her startled gaze swept across to Blake and she realized that while neither fighter was particularly fresh the black-haired girl had definitely put up more of a fight than Yang had been expecting.

Her distraction nearly cost her as Adam swept forward with a triumphant yell only to fall short as his sword clanged uselessly against her metal arm. She saw the moment he realized his mistake as her fist flew forward, catching him across the nose and carving a trail through the already ugly brand covering his eye.

The man screamed but any thoughts she may have had of following up were cut short as Blake dashed past, grabbing the man's dropped sword and she froze as she watched her thrust it towards him, slamming the blade home in his chest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

-X- -X-

Ruby wasn't sure when the gigantic grimm first appeared but as she watched it bite into the giant metal figure in the distance she found herself wishing that it had waited just a few days.

The thought was selfish however it was grounded in a single inescapable truth; whenever the beast managed to break away from the Atlas robot it turned its attention in her direction; or, to be more specific, in the relic's direction.

She'd known that the relic attracted attention and the monstrous grimm in the distance drove that point home.

It was this dark mindset that had her standing on the docks, glaring the distant figure down as she emptied Crescent Rose into its thick hide. The bullets did virtually nothing to it physically and she was glad for that; she didn't need it to focus on her, she just needed it to get hurt.

A lucky shot had it turning her way and instantly the bot seized the initiative, throwing a hammer blow that sent it down into the water.

If she wanted to impact this battle in any feasible way now was her chance. "Weiss!" She cried towards her teammate, silver eyes shining in desperation. "Now!"

Immediately a glyph spun into place beneath her and a fierce grin crossed her face, memories of her friends racing through her mind.

Her first meeting with Jaune, bonding with the other team leader and their travels to Mistral, teaming up with Weiss, getting through the girl's cold exterior and learning about the kind of person she really was, helping Blake adapt to life at Beacon and get over the trauma of the white Fang and going to Beacon with her sister, getting on the same team and learning more about Yang than she'd known even as a child…

A pang of guilt struck and was forcibly pushed down beneath waves of determination, her eyes narrowing at the quickly approaching fin that remained above the waves. Her feet found metal and before Cordovin could realize what she was doing she was dashing up the mecha's back, vaulting over a bulky block beneath its head and finding purchase atop it.

She stared down at the Leviathan beneath the waves and pushed herself harder than ever before, growling low within her throat as she watched red orbs begin to rise with the waves.

A silver glow began to emerge and her growl turned to a gasp, a heavy pressure sliding from her shoulders as she looked on, watching as the glow grew and grew until, finally, all she could see was white.

When the light settled she sunk to her knees, numbly watching as stone revealed itself to her, a statuesque figure where the Leviathan had once been.

Cordovin's mecha shifted, a colossal fist slowly rising and she struggled to remain seated as another glow began to gather, sparks of orange and blue coalescing within the barrel of the arm until, finally, energy erupted forth like a volcanic discharge, tearing through the skull of the unresponsive beast and rending its flesh to ash.

"Wow." She gasped and as if in response the mecha began to move once more, a huge fist rising to its apex and opening before her. For a brief moment she was confused but quickly she realized what was expected of her and so, reluctantly, she stepped onto the huge raised platform that served as its palm. Even as it lowered she heard gears shifting and the static of electricity, the visor of the mecha sliding aside to reveal the diminutive woman within. "Uh, h-hi." She squeaked.

Cordovin smiled, the expression a far cry from her earlier smug dismissal and the woman seemed almost matronly as she spread her arms wide, inviting the girl to speak. "I believe you wanted to discuss getting to Atlas earlier, did you not?" She crooned. "Any friend of Atlas is a friend of mine, and I'd be glad to offer you an audience now young lady."

Huh. Well, Yang… Wasn't going to let her live this down.

-X- -X-

Even though she'd known this could only end in bloodshed Yang still felt a surge of sickly disgust wash over her as she stared at the former terrorist pinned to the wall.

She should have felt satisfied; maybe not happy, but at least satisfied now that the person that had haunted her nightmares for months was dead. Instead all she could feel was a bubbling sense of pity mixed with relief.

As bad as Adam Taurus had been in life did even he deserve a fate like this, to be killed by the person he'd chased so long and left with nothing? Regardless he'd been the one to start this and in the end what other choice did they have but to finish it? Maybe if he'd been a better person this wouldn't have happened.

What ifs clearly didn't matter to the girl opposite her however and Yang quickly stepped up, gathering the hyperventilating faunus in her arms and pulling her away from the corpse. The blade had been driven in with such force that even after they stepped away he remained pinned to brickwork like some macabre display in some bug collectors collection. She'd never known what they called what they did to butterflies and as she looked away from the dead man she found she didn't really want to.

Blake sobbed against her chest and she tightened her hold just a little, well aware that regardless of how shockingly little this seemed to mean to her it was so much more for the other girl. "He's gone now, it's okay Blake. He won't hurt anyone else."

Her sobs continued and all she could do was gently rub circles against her back as she'd done for her sister once so long ago.

"Everything's fine, Blake. It's over now." She consoled, hunching over the girl's shaking form. "We-I'm sorry but we have to move. There's still grimm out there."

The reminder seemed to bring the traumatized girl back to the world around her and she choked down whatever grief she still held for the monster her mentor had become, stubbornly pulling away from her hold. "Right." She breathed, rubbing at her eyes and taking a deep breath. "You're right. We've got to find the others."

Yang pasted on a comforting smile and she pulled the other girl to her feet, staring off in the direction of the docks. "Ruby's over by the docks and she's got Weiss, Jaune and uncle Qrow with her. I don't know where Ren and Nora are though." She paused, trying to think about things rationally but struggling with the knowledge that her sister might be in danger. "We _need_ to get over there."

Her desperation must have leaked through as Blake nodded sharply, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. "Let's go."

Ordinarily the gesture would have been an uncomfortable one for her yet as she glanced back at the corpse of the bull faunus impaled to the wall she realized that she wasn't disturbed by the gesture at all. It was a selfish moment of reflection but nonetheless one she took as progress.

Without another word she matched Blake's pace and the two ran through the now abandoned streets of the city.

Minutes passed and they weren't far from their destination when it happened; a pure corona of light flaring above the distant warehouses of Argus, nearly blinding in its intensity. Perhaps the sight should have been enough to stun them, to bring them to a halt in their pursuit yet all she felt was some strange mix of relief and horror.

On the one hand she knew that if her sister was using those eyes of hers she was definitely still alive and, from the sheer intensity, close, but on the other… If she was using them then she was in danger. Her sister needed her.

Without a word of warning she pushed the other girl back, hair flickering with wisps of gold as she blasted forward, barreling through the window of one of the warehouses and punching through the wall on the other side.

She repeated the process twice and shards of glass left trails of red across her pale skin as she came sliding to a halt, feral eyes darting across the expanse of water before her.

Just far enough away that she couldn't reach her stood Ruby, clearly uncomfortable as she stared up at the short woman that had so rudely dismissed them earlier and Yang growled as she tensed, fully prepared to swim over there if she had to.

Thankfully her zeal proved unnecessary as the woman, Cordovin, noticed them and with all the air of a queen imparting a great boon upon her subjects she swung the giant metal hand around, bringing the petite huntress-in-training within reach.

Immediately the blonde darted towards her and Ruby seemed to sense the impending danger as she spun, launching herself in a whirlwind of rose petals right back at her.

The two met in the middle at the end of the docks leading out to the ocean and Ruby yelped as her sister flung her arms around her, roughly pulling the younger girl with a loud bang back onto dry land.

The motion was entirely too jerky to be natural and the redhead could see the wisps of smoke wafting from her arms yet as she glared up at her Yang couldn't bring herself to care, instead turning her ire onto the smarmy looking cow watching them as if they were something beneath her.

"Yang." The sound of her name snapped her out of her aggressive fugue state and she blinked red spots out of her vision, jerking her head down to meet her sister's worried gaze.

"Ruby." She returned breathily, inhaling sharply and slowly releasing the air with a shaky focus. "Are you okay?"

Ruby nodded quickly, lips pursed as she watched her the same way one might watch a rabid animal. "I'm fine. Yang, I-I'm sorry." A tremor ran through her and Yang felt it against her as her sister glanced down at her waist. "I'm so, so _sorry_."

Yang followed the direction of her stare, taking in the object strapped to her side and forcibly pushed down the surge of panic that threatened to emerge, instead gripping her sister tighter to her chest and glaring up at the woman that still hadn't moved. "What happened? What did you do?"

Cordovin chuckled, shaking her head in mirth. "Me? Why, I simply did my duty as a competent, dutiful official of the world's greatest military force. You, however, have done far more than could possibly be expected of you as civilians." A shrewd light entered her gaze as she looked down at them and she examined them both with a critical eye. "That arm of yours. That's Atlas technology, isn't it?"

Her eyes flitted down to the mechanical prosthetic she'd been gifted and narrowed as they shot back to the smirking woman above. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Anti-Grimm weaponry? Atlas technology? The heiress to the Schnee dust company and a trained Huntsman? I see what this is." Both girls shared a hidden look of confusion. "You're operatives, aren't you? I won't pretend to know why you have that _riff-raff _with you but it all starts to make sense. Everything from your childish behaviour to your actions during the Vytal festival, it's all under the orders of the general isn't it?"

The insane woman continued to smirk haughtily and both girls just stared. Yang felt her jaw go slack at the mental gymnastics the woman had to be pulling, but… "Yeah." She spoke, clearing her throat. "Yeah, we are. Iron- General Ironwood tasked us with bringing the… Anti-grimm weaponry back to Atlas, along with Weiss. As her team, of course."

"Of course." The woman continued to preen and as Ruby went to open her mouth Yang hastily pulled her closer, smothering anything she may have said to give away the game. "Well, I shall have to clear up _this_ mess of course. Drop by tomorrow morning and I'll see about getting your group back to the motherland, operatives."

"Your… country thanks you, Cordovin." Yang nodded slowly, respectfully.

"Please," Cordovin positively purred, back straightening as she locked her arms behind her back. "Call me Caroline, and I do hope you'll mention this incident to the general. Argus is clearly in need of greater protection than was expected when first I was stationed here."

Both teens nodded silently and Cordovin spun on her heel, visor slamming down as the mecha began to rise.

For a moment Yang just stood there, arms wrapped around her sister's frame bridal-style as they both watched the giant machine stalk away and it wasn't until Blake spoke up from her place forgotten off on the sidelines that they realized just what they'd gotten away with.

"What just happened?" The normally dour girl breathed, leaning against a nearly abandoned building.

Yang looked over at her and then down at Ruby, a smug grin beginning to stretch across her face. "I won." She said plainly and in her arms Ruby pouted.

-X- -X-

Hours later when they were back at Jaune's sister's residence their uncle stared at them, disbelief radiating from his every pore. "I can't believe it." He intoned, examining his flask with a critical eye. "I _can't _believe it." He repeated.

The older sister preened at the attention. "Believe it, I totally got us in." She bragged. "No sweat."

Ruby frowned beside her. "But I'm the one that froze the giant grimm, that's all on me." She complained.

Yang smirked as she turned to her however the expression froze as she remembered what it had cost the younger girl to access the power she had used. "R-Right, yeah, and you did great." She quickly stuttered, swallowing harshly. "Ah, R-Ruby, the, um…"

She gestured towards the item hidden beneath her cloak and the triumphant pride on Ruby's face faded into a pale white dread. "Oh." She said numbly, reaching for the relic. "I-I had to ask it how to- I couldn't let the grimm get through, people would have died."

"What are you-" Qrow's words cut short and around the room she could see the despair written across both Jaune and Weiss' face, the disbelief on Oscar's and the disappointment on display from both Ren and Nora. Interestingly Blake seemed unaffected and even as Yang wondered just how much the black-haired faunus' eyes really saw back when they were confronting Cordovin she felt herself falling back to sit on the stairs, bracing herself.

Ruby didn't say anything as she stood there, both hands clenched tight around Jinn's lamp. The dull gray mist within said everything for her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

-X- -X-

"Here's the thing about crazies, kids." Qrow drawled, hands in his pockets as he trudged ahead of them. "No matter what you tell 'em they'll always try to make it about them. So long as you remember that we'll be fine."

Yang only listened with half an ear as her uncle continued to offer (admittedly good) advice. "You okay?" She whispered, watching her sister keenly for any signs of just what she was thinking.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked, shaking her head. "Y-Yeah, I'm great!" She chirped.

While she wasn't entirely sure that was the truth she had to admit that since the big reveal back at the house things had, surprisingly, been better. The loss of the use of the relic in exchange for a chance at Atlas and learning all about the silver eyes… Yang at least felt it was a pretty good trade and from their reactions both Qrow and Jaune seemed to agree.

"_We know that we can't beat Salem." Jaune had pointed out, looking between the doubtful expressions being leveled his way. "But being able to progress and knowing how to use the silver eyes now? That… It almost feels like it was meant to happen."_

At the time she'd still felt like the leader of JNR was being optimistic but now? After some time to think she had to admit it did seem awfully convenient.

"Just a little guilty is all." The redhead murmured under her breath and Yang smiled softly, leaning in to pull the girl even closer. Even after they'd all agreed it was probably for the best the younger girl _still_ tried to take responsibility.

"It's like… Fate, y'know?" She pointed out idly. "A fair trade for something I think was more of a burden than we were really prepared for. Now at least Salem can't use it for another hundred years; you gotta look on the bright side, Rubes."

Ruby slowly nodded, flushing as she looked away. "We did definitely get more out of this question than we did the other two." She admitted.

"That's the spirit." With a grin she tapped the girl on the shoulder. "We gotta stay positive, don't want another Leviathan on our hands after all!"

"Hey, would you two focus on the mission?" Qrow huffed and she deflated beneath the older man's glare. "We can joke around _after _we're on a ship to Atlas. Not sooner."

As if to emphasize the huntsman's point a distant whistle sounded and she watched as a troupe of soldiers dressed in Atlas gear jogged past. "Okay." She acknowledged once they were out of earshot, turning her gaze to the plain metal gate ahead. "You've got a point."

""Got a point" she says." Qrow scoffed. "Listen kids, I can't believe I need to repeat this but I _will_ as many times as I _have_ to; no mentioning Calavera, no mentioning JNR, no mentioning the Relics and no mentioning Ozpin. I don't even want to hear somethin' as simple as the word _cashew _come outta your mouths."

The four teens scowled up at him and Qrow's face lost some of its rugged edge.

"You did good, kids." He sighed, scratching at the messy stubble lining his jaw. "I just- I'm on edge and you should be too. If we mess this up there's no second chances."

"We get it uncle Qrow." Ruby nodded, relaxing slightly as the older huntsman offered a smile. "We'll be on our best behaviour." Her lips pursed, the youngest girl of the group drove her elbow into her sister's side and Yang quickly stopped mouthing her words behind her. "_All_ _of_ _us_."

"Yeah, yeah." Yang casually lifted her arms behind her head, pouting as her uncle stepped up to the intercom.

"_We've been expecting you." _The gates began to open, smooth and fluid in their motion with not a hint of rust and she rolled her eyes. Of course they'd been expecting them, they'd told them to come here.

"Best behaviour." Qrow repeated her younger sister and Yang stiffened, straightening her back and dropping her arms to her sides.

The five of them stood there for a minute and a diminutive figure emerged from the building ahead, flanked by two tall, similar looking guards. "Thank you for coming." Cordovin smiled welcomingly, waving them forward. "Please, do come inside."

Qrow's face reflected her feelings exactly as the bewildered man nodded, trailing after the woman beckoning them to follow.

"Again, I must apologize for my earlier behaviour. I had no idea who you were."

The power hungry crone still had no idea who they were. Yang smirked behind her hand, masking the expression as a cough and up ahead Qrow side-eyed her even as he no doubt thought the same thing. "That's alright, I'm sure we'd behave much the same if some common _riff-raff _came along demanding favours. I… trust you'll keep our presence here a secret?"

Even as he repeated her own words back at her the woman failed to notice and the words she'd only taken in half-heartedly came to the front of Yang's mind. _'"They'll always try to make it about them."' _Wow, he… Was actually _good_ at this. She knew her uncle was a trained and experienced huntsman but with how he'd been moping around and acting lately it had slipped her mind just how long the old man had been in the game.

Up ahead the doors parted to reveal the sterile white walls of the base interior and she watched her teammates, taking in Weiss and Blake's nervous expressions; despite the two girl's reactions to the Atlas base however her attention fell on Ruby, watching as the youngest girl of the group stoically tried to fake confidence.

Unbidden her hand twitched and she stepped forward, brushing it against her sister's and pretending she didn't notice the way the redhead jumped in response.

Silver eyes fell from the plain walls surrounding them to land on the slim digits against her own and Ruby flushed, reluctantly sliding her hand into Yang's own as the blonde glanced away, pretending that she didn't notice her small smile.

Before long the empty hallways and closed doors came to a stop and the woman stepped aside, allowing the small group to enter her office.

A wide window overlooking the bay was the first thing she saw and Yang allowed her gaze to roam from the admittedly beautiful view to the office itself, taking in a plain metal desk with a sleek Atlas computer and a small potted plant; a cursory look across the otherwise empty office and she frowned as she took in the barren state of the room. "Is this really where you work?"

"Oh yes, it's Spartan I'll admit but why mix work and luxury?" Cordovin casually strode over to her desk and sunk into the swiveling chair behind the office equipment. "Now, I've prepared your Atlas permits as requested beforehand."

Qrow blinked as the woman pulled a set of blue-on-white cards from her desk. "Huh. You work quick."

Cordovin preened at the compliment and Yang was sure she wasn't alone in wondering just how little acknowledgement the woman received if such a small gesture was enough to please her. She'd said before that Argus citizens didn't appreciate their efforts, hadn't she?

"So," The huntsman continued, swooping over and grabbing the cards in a single fluid motion. "These'll let us be right on our way huh?" He paused as he stared down at the information on display. "In one week?"

There was an edge to the man's voice and Yang felt her stomach drop.

"Y-Yes, unfortunately that's the earliest we'll be able to arrange a ship to Atlas." She paused, clearing her throat as she turned her chair to look out the office. "Is that a problem?"

A familiar surge of rebellious anger had her clenching her fists and it was only the warmth of Ruby's palm against hers that stopped her from saying something rash. "That's fine." She flinched as her uncle spoke once more. "One week will give us time to get our affairs in order."

One week. Overall that wasn't so long in the grand scheme of things, was it?

"Is there nothing we could perhaps do to expedite the process?" Weiss piped up.

If the woman's reaction to them had been sweet as sugar then her voice as she spoke to Weiss must have consisted of pure honey. "I'm afraid not, Ms. Schnee. Atlas is on lockdown at the moment, there simply isn't any other feasible way into the city. One week was the absolute _minimum_ I could manage."

The white-haired heiress deflated slightly.

"Well, we appreciate that you tried… Special operative." The tone Qrow affected was one she'd heard too often from other men and she blanched as she realized what her uncle was doing and her suspicion was proven correct as Cordovin's face went pink. "I'll be sure to mention that to General Ironwood."

Her posture instantly went ramrod straight and the woman briskly nodded, swallowing overtly. "Very good, well if that's all I can do for you then please allow these two to escort you out." A pair of twin snaps resounded and Yang started as she suddenly remembered the two oddball guards that had escorted them in.

All five nodded and the woman seemed to take that as her cue, spinning her chair dismissively once more to look out over the bay.

"Is that it?" Ruby spoke up once they were out of earshot of the official. "We were only in there for like two minutes."

Qrow smirked. "That's all you need, kid. That's the thing about Atlas; they always have to follow procedure, even if things could get done ten times as fast without 'em."

The four huntresses-in-training all shared a look and even as she felt Ruby's hand slide free of her own Yang couldn't stop smiling; for the first time in months she felt like things might finally be going their way.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

-X- -X-

Yang yawned as she climbed out of bed, lazily glancing out the window at the snow-strewn landscape below.

Despite the numerous blankets the blonde still felt the cold seep into her and she grumbled as she ducked back into her makeshift cocoon, pulling her comforter over her head in the process.

Across the room Blake sighed, flipping to the next page in her book and she perked up at the sound, an amethyst eye peeking out from her bundle of blankets. _"Hey, Blake-"_

"I'm not getting you breakfast." The dark-haired girl spoke plainly, hearing her muffled voice just fine despite the thick layers covering her.

The grumbling returned with a vengeance and Yang sighed as she abruptly flipped the comforter off, wrestling with the blankets and tumbling out of her bed. "Fine. I'll go myself." The blonde grimaced, ignoring the biting chill in favour of the delicious meal awaiting.

Bare feet padded down the hallway and she frowned as she made her way downstairs, taking in the quiet of the house with a furrowed brow.

The silence seemed almost deafening and she had to pause for a moment to steady herself as the events of the previous few days trickled to the fore. A dull buzz began to permeate her senses, searing into her brain and she swallowed as she took another step forward, forcing herself to move past her anxiety and affecting a confident smirk.

As she stepped into the kitchen she spotted her sister lazily spooning cereal, silver eyes examining the plain off-brand with distaste. "Morning." She greeted the younger girl, a genuine smile growing as the girl jumped slightly. "So I guess this means no breakfast huh?"

"_Yaaang." _Ruby whined, dropping her now empty spoon and brushing milk from her chest. "Dang it, now I gotta take this off."

"Them's the breaks." She chuckled only for the sound to trail off as Ruby reached for her collar. She knew the redhead had another layer on underneath yet she still flushed as she watched her begin to pull the strings of her corset loose. "H-Hey, what are you doing?"

"Hm?" Ruby looked up, noticing the nervous expression on her face and immediately (and thankfully) misinterpreting it. "Oh relax, everyone's out right now. Well, everyone except us and Blake that is." She clarified, continuing to pull at the thin black strings holding the fabric closed.

"That's not- ah…" Why was this so awkward? She'd seen the girl naked before when they were both younger, why would this possibly be a problem? "R-Right, fair enough."

Ruby hummed as she pulled away the topmost layer of her corset, throwing the red belt holding it closed on the table. "So," She started, absently fiddling with the white fabric beneath. "Six days to go, huh?"

Yang stared as her sister's thin white top came loose and a flush of heat crossed her cheeks, lilac orbs darting away from the expanse of pale skin the action exposed. "Y-Yeah."

"I gotta admit I'm glad we _didn't _have to try and go through with the original plan, but… The waiting is just _killing _me." She groaned, throwing the white top beside her belt and trudging over to the sink.

Yang tried not to stare at her smooth shoulders as she stood and she _definitely _tried to stop her eyes from roaming down across the creamy expanse of her back, thankfully cut off by the red camisole she wore underneath.

"Yang, you okay?"

A jolt and lilac orbs shot up from their observations, meeting worried silver and widening as she realized she'd been caught. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. And you're right, the-the waiting is definitely killing me too." She finished lamely.

Thankfully Ruby's innocence actually worked in her favour for once as the younger girl merely nodded along, lips pursed as she rubbed at the fresh stain on her corset with a wet cloth. "Well, at least we can go see what else Argus has to offer, right?"

Yang perked up, squashing a brief flicker of guilt as she returned to her Ruby watching. "Mm. I hear there's a nice arcade down town if you wanna check it out?" She grinned playfully at her sister yet the expression felt strained, enthusiasm dulled by a wary sort of worry.

Mere weeks ago they had come together, beating Cinder and gaining the relic of knowledge in the process. Now… Ever since the train had crashed things just seemed to be going downhill; Brunswick farm, using all three questions, the grimm and Adam-

For once her angst had nothing to do with the strange attraction she had felt lately and she could see the moment Ruby noticed, thin brows furrowing in concern as she squinted back at her. "Yang," Ruby paused, dropping her cloth back in the sink and turning to face the blonde. "You... Both you _and_ Blake actually, you've been acting a little weird since we beat that giant Leviathan. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled, cheeks tense as she tried to meet her sister's gaze. The redhead gave her a look and she sighed, looking away. "I just… I guess I'm having trouble believing things are gonna get better. Ever since Brunswick farm-"

Ruby flinched at the mere name of the place and she grimaced at even that minor sign of distress, brushing a stray lock of gold away from her forehead and using the action as an excuse to turn away.

"Yang, look at me." Guiltily she turned back to her sister, shoulders set as she tried to stand tall. "Did… Did something else happen? During the attack on Argus, I mean?"

She liked to imagine that she was strong enough to laugh off the question and go back to pretending everything was fine, but… "Adam attacked. Blake's crazy ex followed us all the way to Argus and tried to kill her, so we…" She swallowed harshly, suppressing the tremor that tried to run through her still frame. "We did what we had to do."

"Oh." Ruby stared, sadness clear in her eyes yet thankfully she knew her well enough not to try and make her a victim in this – Regardless of their situation the brawler wasn't sure she would have been able to handle that kind of pity from her own sister of all people. "I… I'm sorry you had to do that."

The apology was a lame one yet just getting that necessary evil off of her chest made her feel lighter somehow, as though keeping her sins inside had been weighing her down physically. "It's fine." She brushed off brusquely. "I'm not completely okay with it, but… As I said, we did what we had to do. I just need some time."

Ruby slowly nodded, absently pulling her now clean corset on once more, the fabric tight over her camisole and Yang's heart jumped in her chest as the younger girl's breasts conformed against the material, throat suddenly dry as an entirely different kind of nervousness began to grip her.

She was supposed to be the older sister; the responsible, mature one, yet instead here she was ogling her own sister while she put her problems on her shoulders.

"I'm… I'm kinda scared of how things are going right now as well." Yang perked up at the confession. Was this her chance to be the shoulder to lean on for once? "I mean it seems like every time we take a step forward we take another one back. 'For every relic there's more grimm' and all that. What's gonna happen when we get to Argus and who's gonna be the one to get hurt now? Weiss? Blake… You?" She whispered.

As her sister slumped back into her earlier seat it struck her that not once had Ruby aired her own grievances. As soon as they got to Beacon it seemed like she'd just become another teammate to the young team leader and she hated that she'd been relegated to a support role like that. She _liked _Blake and Weiss, sure, but they were supposed to be sister; supposed to be able to rely on one another and, as the older sister, wasn't she supposed to be the one protecting Ruby?

"I can't protect everyone and if I even try then someone always gets hurt. Penny, Pyrrha, uncle Qrow and Weiss… Who's next?"

She mumbled barely loud enough for her to hear yet still Yang surged forward, gripping bare shoulders tight and looking her dead in the eye. "Ruby, it's not your responsibility to look out for all of us. I get that you want to be the one to save everyone but we've all got our own battles to fight, okay?" Ruby looked up at her and any indignation she may have felt melted away at the frightened look in those bright silvers. "Me, Blake and Weiss can handle ourselves and you can't be responsible for uncle Qrow, okay? He's got ten times your experience and he's strong. I know this isn't in your nature but I want you to start looking after yourself."

"But-"

"No buts." She said firmly and was ecstatic to see a flicker of humour cross the teary redhead's face. "Don't think I won't come over and drag you away from whatever trouble you're getting yourself into sis."

Ruby's expression twitched towards the beginnings of a smile and as Yang stared into her eyes she could see those pouty lips blossom into a full grin, steel silver glinting happily. "Thanks, Yang." She breathed, looking away shyly.

Whenever her sister was happy her joy brightened the entire room and this time was no different; it felt as though all her troubles and worries were washed away by the restrained happiness emanating from her and Yang knew that if Ruby only knew the effect she'd had on her just by being happy she wouldn't stop smiling. "No problem." She sighed, stern features softening into a fond look of remembrance.

She was always free with her cheer and it struck her that she'd never appreciated that quite as much as she did in that moment. Oh sure, she'd never been able to stop her own smile in the face of Ruby's but she had also scarcely taken the time to just _bask _in that radiating warmth.

"You wanna see another movie or go for a walk in the park or something? The words escaped before she could stop them and she was embarrassed to feel heat rise across her face. She had nothing to be ashamed of yet still she swallowed as Ruby turned to take in her crooked grin. "Just- Y'know, take in the city or, uh…"

The hunch of her shoulders became immediately noticeable to her and quickly she straightened, arching her back and twitching as she accidentally pushed her chest out. Of course Ruby didn't even notice, why would she? "Sure, I'd like that. Do you wanna go invite Blake as well?"

"Blake told me that she was just gonna stay in bed today." The lie slipped free as smooth as silk and she cleared her throat as she glanced back towards the doorway, relieved when her faunus teammate didn't make an impromptu appearance. "She said we should just go ahead without her."

"Oh. Well… Okay then." Ruby shrugged, oblivious as ever to her machinations. "So, you said you saw an arcade earlier?"

-X- -X-

"You can't just ram me off road!" Ruby huffed, arms waving wildly as she tried in vain to articulate the sheer indignation she felt.

On her end Yang just smirked, blonde locks swaying wildly as she shook her head in mock disappointment. "Are you sure?" She asked, nose scrunching in thought. "Cause I coulda sworn_ I just did_!"

As her sister hopped ahead of her, jabbing wildly with a wicked grin, Ruby pointedly looked away, arms crossed. "Well I hope you enjoy your victory, Yang. Your dirty, two-faced underhanded victory."

The pout that graced her face couldn't hide the twitch of her lips and Yang pounced on the tell, amethyst eyes sparkling in mirth as she swept the smaller girl up in a hug. "Aw, c'mon Ruby! You wouldn't begrudge me my win would you? I almost, _nearly_ had to try that time." A muffled snicker escaped the girl and the blonde gasped as she felt the edge of her jacket come up over her head, a flash of gold and brown smothering her vision. "Ack, betrayal! _Ruby!_"

Ruby forcibly pushed the struggling brawler back, laughing as she stumbled into a tree in an attempt to pull the tight jacket back down. "Having some trouble there Yang?" She crowed as her sister pulled at brown fabric, exhaling sharply when the action forced stray golden strands up her nose.

Yang growled as she managed to shove the jacket back over her shoulders and immediately lunged forward once more, sweeping her sister into a bear hug and ignoring the girl's yelp. "Just for that I'mma do _this_!"

Quick fingers darted to her hips and Ruby snorted as she tried to stop her laughter, thrashing wildly against her powerful hold. "No! Stop, stop! I yield! _Uncle!" _She cried desperately as she tried to hunch away from the blonde's unrelenting barrage of tickles.

The path back to Jaune's sister's house took them straight through a park and Yang was thankful that they didn't have to worry about people seeing them this late; even as early as eight in the evening the town was blissfully quiet and the two girls venture was undisturbed by curious neighbours or nosy civilians wandering the streets.

"Pah-p-please!" Ruby gasped out amidst her unending peals of laughter.

Reluctantly Yang ceased her assault, smiling as the red-faced girl darted away. "What's wrong, Rubes? Having trouble there?" She taunted, cackling as the blushing girl glared daggers at her.

"Not funny." Ruby pouted, reluctantly meandering back over to the blonde's side and watching her warily.

"Sorry, sorry." Yang apologized half-heartedly, resisting the urge to tousle the ruffled girl's hair. "I got carried away. Tell you what, let's get something to eat. My treat."

Instantly the defeated girl perked up, eyes glinting as she spun. "Well, if you're gonna offer it'd be rude of me not to take you up on that, right?" She gestured airily, smiling as Yang snickered. "I'm up for some pizza, haven't had that in about a year now."

Yang smirked at her reasoning. "So is this week just an opportunity for you to catch up on your junk food addiction sis?"

"It's not an addiction!" She denied, eyes widening as she flushed a light pink. The knowing stare her sister shot her in response had her blush turn a more vivid red. "It's not." She murmured cutely.

The blonde recalled fond memories of her sugar tooth and as she watched her look away she couldn't help thinking back on simpler times. Ruby had always been obsessed with cookies in particular and she would always remember the sheer joy that always crossed her face when Yang came back home from school, a bag in hand for the tiny girl every time.

Back then she'd spoiled her sister, first out of guilt for dragging her off with her into the woods so many years ago and then almost compulsively when she started going to Signal with her.

Even now she knew that if she so much as mentioned the confectionary the redhead would probably light up so she considered her for a brief moment, a mischievous glimmer in her eye as she took in the younger girl that began to soften as she watched her glance away nervously.

Crimson locks swayed in the wind and without thinking Yang reached out to brush errant hairs away from the younger girl's eyes, tucking them neatly behind her ear and examining her features intensely.

Ruby had always been pale and her blush always stood out against her skin, drawing attention to the sparkle of her silver eyes and the rich red tips of her hair; truthfully Yang had once been a little jealous of the colour - Her semblance made her already vivid locks glow a brilliant gold but Ruby's colouration was, without a doubt, unique save for a single other person.

"Yang?" Ruby chirped, raising an eyebrow up at the blonde.

She jolted as she realized that somehow during her musings on her sister's craving for sugar she'd began to drift closer and quickly she pulled away, hastily untangling her finger from crimson curls. "S-Sorry." She squeaked, clearing her throat nervously and standing straight. "So, pizza."

"Yang…" Ruby stared at her, brow furrowed. "Are you sure there's not something wrong?"

She wanted to say no and go back to their evening of fun, to just shake off this bizarre situation and go back to being the cool older sister yet as she met Ruby's worried gaze she found herself frozen.

Perhaps it was the way the moon framed her or maybe it was just the dopamine rush lingering in her system but as she stared at the younger girl she found herself instead taking in the way those silver eyes sparked and how dark red locks seemed to glow in the low light.

"I…" She paused, licking her lips as she watched her tilt her head in confusion, pouty lips parting ever so slightly as she tried to understand what was wrong. There was so little distance between them in that moment and the brawler found her confidence ebbing away, the zeal and zest that usually carried her into battle vanishing in seconds. "I don't-" Hastily she turned, shoulders set as she tried to pretend nothing had happened, absently cracking her neck and pasting on a smile.

"Yang?" For the third time Ruby said her name and Yang jolted as smooth fingers brushed against her cheeks, pulling her focus from the distance back to the petite huntress-in-training before her. "What's wrong?"

The events of the day seemed to vanish from her perception and it was like she was back in that hallway, feeling guilty for something out of her control. "Nothing." She whispered and the action was so unlike her that she instantly knew she'd messed up.

Sure enough those slim digits pulled her down further and she found her face mere inches from her sister's, scanning her face with a desperate intrigue. "Tell me." Ruby ordered and the tone of her voice, so commanding yet so soft sent the blonde over the edge.

She kissed her.

Immediately she felt Ruby still and she knew she'd made a horrible mistake. Her prosthetic came up to push back and she flinched as she spied glazed steel within those wide silver steel orbs. "Ruby-" She tried but her only answer was a sudden flurry of rose petals flowing across her vision, a veritable cloud of red drowning out the girl's stunned face and by the time she managed to get through the girl was gone. "Ruby!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

-X- -X-

"_RUBY!"_

Not even an hour had passed since what was quite possibly the biggest mistake she'd ever made and Yang was already starting to lose hope that she'd find her sister.

"Excuse me, have you seen…" Even before they answered she could see that the civilian she'd stopped didn't recognize her sister and she sighed as she lowered the photograph, mumbling a "Thank you" as she stepped aside.

Despite her chirpy demeanor she had to remember that Ruby wasn't just her little sister anymore but a trained huntress with a speed semblance and a sniper rifle; if she didn't want to be found then she probably wasn't going to be found. Still, she couldn't just give up – she _had_ to find her, even if only to apologize and try to put this whole thing behind them.

The blonde pointedly ignored the small voice in the back of her mind telling her that she didn't _want _to just try and forget all about this.

"Ruby…" She slumped, trudging through the residential area with little energy to be found.

If she was lucky perhaps the younger girl would flee back to their team and tell them what a sick freak she was; she'd take that over the sixteen year old choosing to wander around the city late at night all alone.

It was strange that she'd spent years trying to be a social butterfly and trying to be the best sister she could be and yet now she'd not only failed at being even a _good _sister but she'd failed at the former as well - In that moment however she just didn't _care _what the others thought about her so long as she got a single chance to make things right with Ruby.

The park came back into view and she sighed as she wandered down the same path she'd been walking with her sister before things had gone so wrong. "_Yang_?"

Her gaze shot up and amethyst orbs widened as they spotted the familiar red cloak illuminated beneath a street light, silver eyes glimmering as they stared over at her. The leaves in the girl's crimson locks and the tremor to her lower lip only increased the feelings of guilt and hurriedly she rushed over to Ruby's still form, nearly going for a hug before the girl's vulnerable flinch stopped her in her tracks. "R-Ruby." She started, swallowing as she searched for words. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking! I just-"

"Yang, stop." Ruby shook her head, pale hands coming together before her chest as she met her sister's gaze. "I just… I wanted to talk – Like actually _talk _about this."

Yang looked away, trying to ignore the sting threatening to compromise her vision. "What's there to talk about, Ruby?" She prompted, grimacing as the girl continued to stare. "I'm a terrible sister and I did something _stupid, _just so stupid, what was I thinking-?"

"Yang, _stop!" _Ruby repeated and the command that echoed through in her tone had the older girl obeying before she could think twice about it. "I'm not mad, okay?"

"You- you're not?" Yang looked up, eyes wide as she watched her carefully. "After what I did?"

Ruby sighed, reaching out to lay a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm not mad." She repeated softly, silver orbs locked with her own amethyst. "I was just- I… I was confused."

"Confused?" Yang blinked, lashes wet as she took in the emotion swimming within Ruby's gaze. "I-I get it. I'm sorry I did it Ruby, I never wanted to hurt you."

Again the smaller girl sighed as she stepped away, licking her lips as she glanced away and nervously scratching at her corset. "Yang, you didn't hurt me. That's not… I've never let myself think about you like that, you're my sister after all but… I couldn't just say I didn't feel that way about you."

She tried to desperately smother the small glimmer of hope rising within her with the guilt she felt at taking advantage of Ruby's trust like that yet she couldn't quite manage to stop herself from following up. "You couldn't?"

"I'm not… Disgusted or appalled or- or _scared_ or anything like that. You kissed me." She trembled slightly as she curled in on herself and Yang's brow furrowed, the sight of her sister bringing forward an urge to protect that she just knew wouldn't help the situation. "You kissed me and I wasn't expecting it but it wasn't… Bad."

"Ruby, you don't have to try and make me feel better - what I did was wrong and I know that." Yang admitted.

Ruby glared up at her. "I'm not trying to make you feel better!" She huffed as she watched her sister try and fail to be responsible. "I liked it, okay!"

The words escaped before she could stop them and Yang could see the moment Ruby realized, silver eyes widening as she clasped both hands to her mouth. "You… Liked it?" She repeated, swallowing as she watched the girl's face redden.

"Y-Yeah." Bringing her hands down to her neck and pressing her palms flat the redhead absently licked her lips, the action drawing Yang's attention and with it a whole new wave of disdain for herself.

Was this all she was? Some bundled mass of hormones in a filthy, crippled package?

"Yang!" The yell drew her from her self-recrimination and she jolted, quivering as she met Ruby's worried gaze. "I liked it." She emphasized and slowly she reached out as though trying to calm a startled wild animal, gently brushing stray golden locks from Yang's pink cheeks. "I-I ran because I wanted more and I felt ashamed of that, but…"

Ruby bit her lower lip, tongue darting out to trace across pale skin and unwittingly the blonde felt herself follow the motion, pupils dilating as she released a sharp breathe.

"Wow." Hastily she dragged her eyes back up to Ruby's face and her light blush deepened at the girl's fascinated stare. "You… Really do think about me like that, huh? I never…" She trailed off and Yang tried to take the opportunity to move away only to tense as the younger girl followed, matching her step for step until the brawler felt her back hit the wall.

There was a sort of fascination written across her face that she'd only seen when her sister had her eye on something particularly sweet and delicious and she felt a strange guilty thrill as she realized that Ruby was looking at _her _like that. "Ruby…"

"_Yang_." Her name was spoken with a kind of reverence she definitely hadn't earned and she gulped as Ruby's lashes fluttered, darkening her intent gaze into something smouldering and heated. "I'm not gonna sit around and let you panic about this, Yang. I'm gonna kiss you _now_." She told her, clear in her intentions and as Yang stood there a wry grin twisted her sister's expression in a way she'd never even known it could.

Dimly she was aware that Ruby was moving in closer, pale face framed by the streetlight and she scarcely had a second to think about telling her to stop before it all melted away, cherry and chocolate lingering as her senses exploded.

She'd always thought the books and movies were bullshit when they talked about 'fireworks' and how things 'exploded' but as her own sister locked lips with her she suddenly realized that _yeah _it wasn't as insane as people always said but somehow it was still pretty damn good.

It was the best kiss she'd ever had and the fact that it was, as far as she knew, the first time Ruby had ever intentionally kissed someone somehow made it even better, small toes curling in her boots as she moaned with her hands on the girl's shoulders.

The tableau lasted for barely a moment and she could tell that it was Ruby's own inexperience that probably had her worrying and yet as the younger girl pulled away, licking at the small string of saliva that connected their lips in what had to be the hottest thing she'd ever see she found herself speaking, thoughts racing as she stared in stunned lust down at the other huntress.

"You've been eating chocolate again haven't you?" She breathed and she froze as the words cut through the tension like a knife, taking in the split second deer-in-the-headlights look that Ruby had before the smaller girl suddenly burst out laughing.

Ruby's laughter subsided quickly and she stared up at her shyly, intrigue and trepidation written across her face in equal measure. "Yang… Where do we go from here?"

Perhaps it wasn't responsible of her yet as she met those silver eyes she found herself speaking once more, words escaping that she was surprised to find she agreed with in spite of her better sense. "Wherever you want, Ruby. I-I'm always here for you, no matter what… No matter what, ah, _way_ you want me." She babbled awkwardly, inwardly cursing as she lost pretty much every cool point she'd ever earned with her.

Despite her awkwardness Ruby still smiled though and in her book that made it all worth it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

-X- -X-

It was amazing how the more things changed the more they stayed the same.

With just four days to go until their trip Yang found that she was scarcely able to move in the mornings and the petite girl pressed against her front was definitely of the same mindset - Ruby had never dealt well with the cold and frankly she was impressed the younger girl had managed to gather the energy to deal with their teammates pestering the day before.

Apparently disappearing for hours on end without even a word and their scrolls turned off hadn't been their best move and both girls had been surprised to find that they'd apparently been on the verge of being the targets of a two-team-wide manhunt.

Dimly Yang felt a glimmer of embarrassment even as she shifted to take in the younger girl's warmth, the emotion swiftly smothered as she took in her sister's sleepy form. "Hm." She breathed in contentment, allowing her gaze to drift to the television and taking in the old Saturday morning cartoons with a chuckle.

"Wha-?"

Ruby yawned mid-word and she smiled, nuzzling soft crimson locks lazily. "Nothin'." She assured her and apparently it was enough, her curious gaze flickering up to meet warm amethyst before falling again with a small hum. "Wanna go out today?"

The question was asked more out of courtesy than anything else and yet the younger girl honestly surprised her, silver glinting in the light as Ruby seemed to think about it. "Maybe later." She decided, warily meeting her curious stare. "It'd be nice to go somewhere with just the two of us." She admitted and Yang's breath hitched, tongue darting out to wet her lips.

"Am I being a third wheel?" The decidedly masculine voice asked with genuine worry and both sisters' eyes snapped up to meet Jaune's sheepish smile. "'cause I don't wanna intrude on any sibling bonding or anything. Sorry."

His mouth snapped shut as both girls looked at him and Ruby giggled nervously, carefully leaning away from Yang's slack hold. "No, no. It's no problem Jaune. We were just gonna get something to eat or something, y'know…"

She shrugged, waving a hand back and forth in a so-so motion and the blond lit up, nodding in understanding. "Right, right. Sorry. I'll let the others know where you went."

At the oblivious tone of his voice Yang felt just a _little _guilt as the events of the previous day came to mind and she almost ended up inviting the boy and his team along only to freeze as she felt a sharp elbow to the gut, the brawler gasping incredulously as her sister gave her a look. "_Thanks, Jaune." _She wheezed instead, stealthily rubbing her stomach.

For a second she almost thought she could see her aura spark into existence however she blinked and it was gone – though she still gave Ruby a squinting glare, sighing as the girl pouted up at her innocently.

Despite her playful demeanour she could see a vague hint of the steel the younger girl had shown yesterday and many times before and she nodded slightly to indicate she understood; regardless of how she felt about Ruby there was very little chance of the others being anywhere near as understanding and even if they were things would, without a doubt, be at the very least strained.

They really couldn't afford any kind of… Dissention - not when they considered just what they were going to be presenting to general Ironwood.

Jaune gave a nervous chuckle at what he most probably just saw as sisterly ribbing and Ruby smiled at the awkward huntsman-in-training, pulling their shared quilt up over them as she climbed out of her lap. "So Jaune, any plans for the next few days?" The redhead probed casually, patting her sister on the arm as the blonde quietly mourned the loss of body heat.

"Well, my sisters are dragging me and- Weiss and I around the town. We were gonna check out that new Spruce Willis flick and then we were gonna check out one of the local schools for prospective Atlas trainees." Jaune beamed, completely oblivious as the two shared a knowing glance.

""Weiss and I" huh?"

Amethyst irises twinkled with mischief and Jaune blinked, absently brushing a thick lock of hair away from his face and tilting his head in vague confusion. "Yeah?" He confirmed, flicking his gaze towards Ruby in question and receiving a small giggle for his troubles. "Saph's really trying to make her feel at home and you've both been hanging out a lot so I figured maybe I'd try to keep her included. I tried inviting Blake but she just looked at me all weird and I don't really know her all that well so…"

As his babbling came to a stop Yang smirked. "You and Weiss, Saphron and Terra... Sounds like a double-date situation to _me_." Ruby giggled once more and Yang threw her arm around the younger girl's shoulders, ignoring the squeak the action earned and shooting the boy a knowing look.

Jaune swallowed, sinking back into his seat and pointedly looking away. "W-What? No, it's just… Saph's being friendly – you know how Weiss is with new people, she's just trying to make her more comfortable." He defended.

If Jaune were more like Ruby she was positive his face would have been a vibrant red right now. "Right, sure thing lover boy." Yang scoffed.

"W-Well…" Jaune flinched, glancing away in thought for a second as he tried to come up with what she had no doubt was gonna be an absolute zinger. "What about you!" He crowed triumphantly, pointing straight at her and as her breath hitched she felt Ruby stiffen against her side, momentarily abandoning her half-hearted attempt to shrug off her arm. "You and Blake seem awfully chummy but there's nothing there, right?"

As her sister relaxed she cleared her throat, lilac orbs flickering to the side only to shoot back in the other direction as they met curious silver. "Y-yeah, there's nothing there." She chuckled and Jaune's eyes widened.

He paused for a moment and slowly she saw his lips begin to curl into a wide grin. "Oh my gosh is there-" He cut himself off and Yang raised an eyebrow. "Are you two… _Into_ _each_ _other_?" He whispered conspiratorially and she automatically jerked away, nose scrunching as her earlier comparisons between Blake and Raven came to mind.

Ruby shifted beside her, looking up at her face and something of her aggravation must have shown as both of the other teens flinched back nervously. "No." She spoke flatly before either of them could misconstrue her expression. "Trust me when I say there's _nothing _there."

A sharp hitch of breath caught her attention and she followed it down, spying her sister's small flush and as the younger girl pointedly looked ahead she paused.

"R-Right, sorry." Jaune hastily apologized and as she continued to stare down at her sister he cleared his throat, climbing from his seat. "A-Anyway, I'd better go get ready. Saph and Terra are gonna be back in twenty minutes so…"

Ruby mumbled something back but on her end Yang found herself unable to look away, gaze firmly locked onto the pale pink that stole its way across her cheeks.

"_Yang._" She hissed and the blonde exhaled sharply, noting a slight tremble in her fingers and her suddenly dry lips.

As she stared up at her Ruby's brow furrowed and slowly Yang began to smile. "Sorry Rubes, I just…" She trailed off, licking her lips as she briefly assessed the room for any _more _of their wayward friends. "I didn't think you'd be jealous."

"I'm not!" Ruby protested far too quickly and she grinned. "D-Don't be silly. Ego much, Yang?"

Yang nodded slightly, nonchalantly jerking her head to the side. "I was." She confessed and the other girl blinked. "You're a cute girl- No, you're a _beautiful woman_ now Ruby, and you've been travelling across the kingdom for a year with two guys and a girl if that's your thing… Well, Nora, if _that's _your thing." She amended and Ruby tried to stifle her amusement even as she blushed.

"I guess it is my thing." Ruby's blush deepened. "Well, girls apparently, not Nora."

"Well, that's a relief at least. I was worried I might have competition." Yang teased, leering at her and enjoying the shuttering gasp the redhead gave in response.

Ruby bit her lower lip, raptly following her every motion as she tightened her grip and pulled the smaller girl closer still. _"N-No competition." _She whispered, twitching as Yang spread her fingers across her back and held her flush against her taller form. "A-Ah, Yang…"

"_-sure that they'll enjoy having a little variety."_ A sudden crash had both girls throwing themselves in opposite directions and they both spun, wide eyes locked on the blonde woman entering the room. Saphron Arc looked up as she pulled the key from the front door, blue eyes widening in surprise. "Ruby, Yang!" She chirped, pursing her lips for a brief moment before smiling. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"N-No!" Ruby's voice wavered at her side and the more experienced of the two could see the amusement sparking in the other woman's gaze. "We were just, uh… Watching TV. Saturday morning cartoons, y'know? Yay, roadrunner…"

Saphron chuckled lightly, covering her mouth with a hand as she watched the petite huntress-in-training fumble her words. "It's okay, really." She assured the younger girl, stepping fully inside and pulling the door closed behind her. "I didn't think there'd be anyone other than Jaune and Weiss here. Well, other than ah, Blake was it?"

"Yeah, Blake." Yang quickly nodded, taking in the woman's furrowed brow. "She's kinda… Quiet."

"I could tell. She's been keeping to herself the entire time she's been here." Saphron noted, shooting the other blonde a knowing look and Yang desperately tried to read the look. "But seeing this I think I might know what's going on."

Dimly she felt small fingers brush against her hand, the action hidden by the corner of the quilt left on the couch. "Y-Yeah? What's that?" The younger girl squeaked nervously.

"Well…" The civilian woman awkwardly scratched at the back of her head in a motion all-too-similar to her younger brother. "You and Blake, Yang… It looks like you've just come out of a relationship and things are strange because you've entered one with Ruby, am I right?"

Both girls froze and Yang's mind raced as she took in the open smile on her face, not a hint of judgment to be found. It was almost like she- "Right!" Yang snapped and next to her she felt Ruby jolt. "You're totally right, Blake and I were, well, not _exactly _dating but close but Ruby and I, well… No-one knows about us. Not even Blake."

"Oh." Saphron shifted on the spot. "Well, I suppose one out of two ain't bad, right?" She joked.

Yang cracked a mildly panicked grin, throwing her arm back over Ruby's shoulders and squeezing her close in an effort to keep her quiet. "No, that's pretty good. But do you think maybe you could keep this, us-" Quickly she gestured between herself and the redhead at her side. "-a secret? There's so much going on right now that we don't want it to distract everyone and Blake… She's been through enough."

Jaune's sister nodded sympathetically. "Of course, I wouldn't want to make things awkward between you and your team." She hastily assured them, gaze flitting back to the door. "Aaaaanyway, Terra's got Adrian so I'd better grab my purse. Terra and I were planning on taking little bro and his girlfriend to see a movie."

"O-Oh, well, we won't keep you." Ruby gasped around her sister's arm, elbowing the older girl once more and glaring as the blonde winced. "Have fun!"

"Y-Yeah, have fun!" Yang repeated, shooting Ruby a pointed look.

Saphron made to step across the room only to pause, turning slightly as she looked at the two girls with a smirk. "I'll see if we can't get Blake to come along as well, give you two some time to yourselves. Just don't mess up anything while we're gone."

Yang's gaze shot from her sister's flushed face to the older Arc sibling and she mentally wrestled with herself, considering the other blonde's offer carefully. "If… That's okay with you." She agreed slowly, perking up slightly. "We wouldn't wanna be a _bother _or anything."

"It's no problem." Saphron smiled warmly. "I remember how tricky it could be getting some time for us back when Terra and I first started dating - The wonders of living in a college dorm."

"Thank you." Ruby spoke up and Saphron's smile widened, boot-clad feet thudding against the carpeted floor as she stepped towards the stairs. "W-Well, I guess we're staying in after all?" She murmured awkwardly.

Yang pointedly ignored her words, shaking her head as she made sure no-one else could hear them. "_She doesn't know._" She whispered after a tense moment and Ruby nodded quickly, gaze flicking between the door, the stairs and her sister's stunned expression. "We- We have to keep this on the down low."

"What if she tells Jaune though?"

The question was a genuine concern and Yang considered it, swallowing harshly as she contemplated the information spreading. "I-It's not too late to call this off, Ruby. Just tell her we were joking around and pretend this never happened."

Ruby stared up at her with hurt and she flinched at the look on her sister's normally so innocent and happy face. "No, I don't want that Yang. I can't _pretend _that this never happened. I… I'm not used to this kinda stuff but I can't go back to normal now, I want _this _to be my normal."

Raising her arm, Ruby wrapped slim digits around the hand dangling over her shoulder and amethyst orbs flicked to the limb before climbing back up to meet warm silver. "I-" Her breath hitched and slowly she nodded, shakily withdrawing her arm and pulling her hand down to the area between them. "Okay, we'll just have to be more careful."

"We've handled worse than this before." Ruby reminded her and reluctantly she smiled, a shy and nervous twitch of her lips that was decidedly out of place on the brawler's face. "We can handle this. We can use today to plan." She offered warily and slowly she nodded.

"Yeah." Yang exhaled sharply and she clenched Ruby's hand just a little bit tighter. "Yeah, you're right. We can last four days. We'll just… We'll plan and we'll get through this. Just like we always have." Ruby gazed up at her and despite her nerves the blonde shakily pulled her in, holding her close as she breathed in the girl's addictive presence. "Just like always."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

-X- -X-

Yang was tired of getting up late already.

Getting out of bed later these past couple of days _had _let her and Ruby get away with a lot more exploring than they might otherwise and between Saphron's surprising support and their own efforts the two of them had actually been enjoying their time here with a lot less trouble than they expected, all things considered.

Still, getting up nearer to mid-day and going to bed in the early AM simply wasn't coded into her and the sudden shift had been a little bit of a shock to the system, something that amused Ruby to no end – apparently her sister thought she was some kind of party animal despite her constant fighting with the younger girl for the shower every morning.

Still, she'd come to realize that she wasn't built for this kind of night-life quickly and even with those few moments together she had to acknowledge that the sooner they got to Atlas and got their own rooms the better.

"At this rate I'm gonna end up nocturnal like you." She spoke aloud without thinking and Blake paused mid-step to shoot her a dirty look. Yang winced. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know."

"…Are cats nocturnal? I've always been a dog person so-"

"Yang." Blake cut across her, lips twitching as she quietly cleared her throat. "I'm pretty sure that cats aren't much more nocturnal than dogs."

Yang slowly nodded, mulling over the things the two animals had in common as she followed the other girl. "So, where are we going again?"

Blake's brow furrowed and amber eyes narrowed at the blonde. "To check on _your _bike." She murmured lowly and Yang shot her a cheeky grin. "Yang, just… Stop." She finally sighed, rubbing at her forehead.

"Alright, sorry." Yang chuckled, stuffing her hand into her pocket and whistling as she upped her pace and fell into step beside her teammate.

Feline ears twitched atop her head and Blake absently eyed her as she slouched. "So, you and Ruby have been having fun?" She pressed, raising an eyebrow as the blonde blinked. "You two have just been touring the city so much these past couple of days we were starting to wonder if we'd ever see you again." She teased.

Despite their fight against Adam or perhaps, at least in part, _because_ of the fight, the faunus had been much more relaxed over the past couple of days and as Yang took in her casual half-smile she felt herself begin to smile in response. "Yeah, we've been trying to catch up on lost time – visiting the arcade, seeing some movies, eating crappy food and brushing up on her hand-to-hand. Y'know, the usual."

Blake nodded, humming as she digested the information. "Has she improved?"

The image of a head of red-black curls smashing into her chin came to mind and Yang's smile grew into a full grin. "Yeah. She's getting the hang of things, got me right in the chin with a headbutt at one point."

"I would've liked to see that."

Blake chuckled and she shot her a suspicious look that the other girl met without hesitation. "Yeah, yeah, Laugh it up. Maybe I'll ask her to give you some one-on-one weapons training." She threatened and much to her amusement Blake's smile wilted slightly.

Despite her petite stature and innocent demeanour Ruby was a force of nature when it came to using that scythe of hers and when it came to training the redhead definitely took things seriously. These days even Yang only asked for a sparring match when she was feeling particularly adventurous.

The two paused as a garage door came into view and Blake stepped back as she pulled out her keycard, scanning it and staring into the small space with eager anticipation. _"There you are!" _She crooned, dashing forward and wrapping both arms around the mechanical frame. "I missed you baby."

Blake cringed as she watched the grown woman kneel to gently caress her motorcycle's metal chassis. "Do I… Really need to be here for this?" She casually asked, discomfort clear in her posture.

"Aw, don't be like that!" Yang huffed, patting the side of her bike one more time before she climbed back to her feet. Amethyst orbs glimmered as she examined the beauty of a machine and reluctantly she nodded. "I just needed to make sure everything was alright. Think I'm gonna need a tune-up when we get to Atlas though." She confessed.

The words were hidden from the vehicle by a hand held flat to the side of her mouth and Blake furrowed her brow, regarding the blonde like one would a particularly strange animal in the wild. "Okay." She said, shuffling on the spot. "Well, I'm glad everything's on the up-and-up. Now what about training?"

The casual reminder of the second item on their agenda shook Yang from her smitten examination of her baby and she quickly nodded as she stepped back, following the other girl from the room and sparing a brief moment to run her eyes over the sleek yellow-on-black frame of her most valuable material possession. "Soon." She promised and once more Blake shot her a queer look, letting up only when the blonde finally closed the door. "So, where were you thinking?"

After a moment's deliberation her teammate pursed her lips, tilting her head as she squinted towards the ocean. "How about the cliffs? The weather's actually nice enough for once."

Yang hummed, acknowledging her point even as her gaze wandered across the entrance gate of the city. "Sure, why not?"

The trek up to the cliffs overlooking Argus wasn't a long one and Yang actually felt pumped to finally be sparring properly. Aside from a few hand-to-hand lessons with Ruby and some basic shadowboxing and workouts the brawler hadn't actually had a chance to "stretch her legs", so to speak – this was definitely not an opportunity she was willing to miss out on.

The blonde spared a brief moment to admire the distant sunset before beginning her stretches. "Hope you're ready." She teased, casually rotating her arm in preparation. "I'm not gonna go easy on ya."

Blake regarded her with a bemused smirk, for once choosing to forego her usual stoicism and raising an eyebrow mockingly. "That's good, I'd hate for you to go down too quickly."

In lieu of a response Yang cocked her artificial arm, the sharp clack of an ejected shell echoing loudly and with a vicious grin she shot forward, already twisting away from the answering ribbon and throwing a sharp right that quickly transitioned into an uppercut and quickly the two girls fell into a routine.

After another set of punches failed to land Blake pushed off her heel, darting past her with a burst of speed. "So, do I have you two to thank for Jaune's sister deciding to take me under her wing?"

The query was laced with the usually broody girl's amusement yet Yang still stumbled and immediately she pounced, a jab that lacked real force landing on her stomach and hastily she pulled back. "Dunno what you're talking about." She quickly denied, leaning away from a particularly fast high kick. "Maybe she just noticed how lonely you've been lately. You've been reading a lot lately." She pointed out, raising an eyebrow as the other girl scowled slightly.

"I _like _reading by myself." Blake retorted and she couldn't quite dodge the hook that caught her across the cheek.

Her aura negated the damage easily and she chuckled as she shook her head, simultaneously shaking off both her teammates blow and her words. "Right, I get that. But I also know that you've been brooding since we got to Argus."

Blake's scowl lightened somewhat and she sighed as she fell out of her combat stance, relaxing as Yang took the unvoiced ceasefire for what it was. "I was just… Caught up on the past I guess. After Adam…" She paused, a flicker of regret flashing in her amber irises. "After Adam I've been better though. I think… I needed closure." She finally decided, nodding to herself as Yang reached out to pat her on the shoulder.

"Well I'm glad you've been feeling better. I have to admit I sorta had the same kinda thing when I saw Ruby using her eyes against that giant grimm." Yang confessed, pursing her lips as her sister's exhausted form flashed before her. "The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?" She voiced and Blake raised an eyebrow at the wistful nostalgia in her voice.

"I suppose so."

She hummed and Yang blinked, shaking herself from her memories and punching the other girl lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, how about we spar for a few more minutes and do some target practice? The arcade has some good ones." She offered.

Blake shifted, eyeing her for a brief moment before she smirked, patting her on the shoulder in return. "Thanks, but I think it's a little too late for that now; you and Ruby have been getting up too late for me even." She joked and Yang cracked a half-smile.

"Well, if that's the case then maybe we can save the training until we get to Atlas and just… Relax." She decided, absently pressing her hips and admiring the loud crack the action earned.

Her teammate winced. "Y-yeah, sounds nice to just be able to calm down and not have to worry for once." She admitted. For a brief moment the two just stood there, silent in a way that felt more comfortable than Yang could have anticipated.

Staring off into the still-descending twilight of the night's sky and registering the other girl's stare, Yang had the fleeting thought that as nice as the view was it really didn't have anything on the rural majesty of Patch. "Home really is where the heart is, huh?" She mused aloud and vaguely she noticed Blake nod, the motion so small as to almost be non-existent.

"Yang… Can I ask you something?" Blake piped up and despite the calm in the air she felt her shoulders tense at the clear nerves in the other girl's voice. "Back before… Not Adam, but Argus maybe? Or… I don't know. Before we got to Argus it felt like there might be _something…_"

Yang hesitantly chanced a glance at the girl to see her nervously playing with her hands, gaze cast downwards and although she felt a momentary concern for her she pushed through. "Blake… I won't pretend there wasn't something there." She confessed and Blake's ears perked in tandem with the rest of her body, a glimmer of something resembling hope glimmering in her amber eyes. "But I think a lot of it was just that I was afraid of things changing. I'm… Not the person I was even a year ago. I don't-"

She cut herself off, unable to quite voice the thoughts floating around in her head yet if anything that seemed to relieve Blake even more. "I get it." The words were bitter yet she could hear the clear relief in the other girl's voice. "I'm glad I didn't imagine it though, I was worried I might be…"

'_Imagining things? Going crazy? Or…' _She finished the half-formed sentence without much thought and suddenly realized just the problem might be. "Blake," She started and the faunus' eyes rose. "You're a good friend. No matter what happens you know we aren't going anywhere, right?"

Yellow orbs flitted across her face and slowly she could see the tension leave her teammate's shoulders, a fond smile tracing her lips. "Thanks, Yang." She whispered.

The two settled into a quiet respite and while she knew that this might not be enough to completely silence whatever it was that Blake felt for her she knew that it was a good start. She just hoped that was enough.


End file.
